You've seen this happen countless times: you're walking along a road at night and a car (or in one shocking case, a city bus) zooms by with the driver blithely unaware that the headlights are off.
How a bout a univeral "Your lights are off!" gesture to help remedy these dangerous situations? I typically try making a "blinking light" gesture with my hands but it rarely works. It should be something easily visibly in the ambient light, like "both arms outstretched above the head" or similar. Granted, I often notice cars driving without lights while riding a bike, and this suggested gesture might be a tad difficult/dangerous to perform.-- pob27, Nov 24 2003 Inter-car communication http://www.halfbake...car_20communication [hippo, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004] Having also tried to alert hedlight challenged drivers to their situation, with varied degrees of success, I also cannot come up with any obvious gestures for this. I usually just wave frantically and point at their headlights.-- DrCurry, Nov 24 2003 I always just turn my lights off and on a few times. That usually works.
I used to have a driver's sign language idea posted. It covered lights/high beams, turn signals, etc. No one liked it.-- phoenix, Nov 24 2003 Hold a sign on a stick (like Wiley E Coyote) that says Your Lights Are Off! (in comic strip font)-- phundug, Nov 25 2003 ...then they will have to turn on their headlights to read it!-- luecke, Nov 25 2003 Maybe the States should adopt mandatory day time running lights like Canada has .
They also help with the dusk/dawn dilema of is it dark enough to turn my lights on ?-- SystemAdmin, Nov 25 2003 Why not wear glow in the dark clothes when walking in dark areas?-- python, Nov 30 2003 "both arms outstretched above the head"
Um, no. Then who will pay for my car wreck expenses for crashing from letting go of the wheel?-- Pericles, Nov 30 2003 //:Maybe the States should adopt mandatory day time running lights like Canada has://
that was discussed here (U.S.) but it got shot down somehow. I think the auto manufactures didn't want to convert and such. But all my cars (except my 2001 F-150) have running lights that have a disable option installed from the factory.-- dickity, Nov 30 2003 Flat palm exposed to offender, fingers open and closed 3 or 4 times in a 'flashing' gesture.
For high beamers, a downward dipping motion made by a flat hand motion toward the driver.-- Johnny Mash, Nov 30 2003 In various locations I've dwelled, flashing one's lights at oncoming traffic means a) "I just passed a speed trap/trooper back there, you should slow down", or b) "I just passed some deer/moose in the road back there - be alert for them." I've never seen it used to tell someone to turn their lights on.-- waugsqueke, Nov 30 2003 [waugsqueke] - I was under the same impression, but I've come to know it as a generic "something's up" gesture, whereupon I slow down, get into the left lane, check my indicators, lights and highbeams, check in the mirror that the boot (trunk) is shut, glance at the doors, listen out for a flat tyre, and spend one twentieth of a second contemplating the landmark I'm about to be a part of.-- Detly, Nov 30 2003 Flashing lights can be confusing. Here (UK) it is taken as either (a) your lights are off, or (b) I have left you space to pull out in front of me. However I am just back from Italy, where flashing lights mean either (a) get out of my way, or (b) get out of my way.
Very confusing.-- suctionpad, Nov 30 2003 Thanks for all the comment. I was, however, talking about a signal to use when *walking* near traffic (i.e., in a city) to alert drivers...-- pob27, Dec 09 2003 Oooooh. I see. *makes point to actually read idea text in future*
I think half the population have a fairly recognisable "headlights" gesture anyway.-- Detly, Dec 09 2003 Very occasionally, in this portion of North America, flashing lights can also mean, "turn your fucking hi-beams off, you dolt!". So you see the message could be very confusing.-- waugsqueke, Dec 09 2003 random, halfbakery