Published on Sunday, June 25, 2006
in the Orlando Sentinel

Stop! Flashing lights while you're driving is illegal

So, you're driving down the road and a quick-moving thunderstorm suddenly starts dropping buckets of rain from the gloomy sky. Within seconds, the red taillights on the vehicle ahead of you are nearly impossible to see.

The wipers are flying across your windshield, but still you squint to see what's ahead. Instinctively, you lean over, pop on your hazard lights and rest assured that, at least others behind you now can see your car through the heavy rain. Like many motorists, you secretly wish the driver ahead would do the same.

But, unbeknownst to you . . . you've just broken the law. You're not alone: The Patrol also can be accused of hitting the hazard button on the little blue Patrolmobile during the Sunshine State's usual summer afternoon downpours.

It always seemed to help, The Patrol thought.

"It's illegal," said Trooper Kim Miller, public information officer for the Florida Highway Patrol. Drivers "think with the blinking light that you can be seen more easily."

Truth is, it causes more accidents than it prevents, she said.

"The reason it's illegal is that somebody behind you sees your hazard lights flashing, thinks you're stopped in the roadway, and in a panic, they swerve to switch lanes so they avoid hitting you," Kim said. "The law states that the only time you use them is when you're stationary. They're designed for emergencies."

Kim said some people also pop on their hazard lights if they have a flat tire or if someone is following them. Driving with flashing lights along the shoulder of the road also is a no-no, she said.

"The shoulder is for cars that are disabled," Kim said. "But the car must be stopped before you turn on the hazard lights."

OK, Kim, what should you do if you're in a deluge of rain and feel you can't see?

She said anytime you don't feel comfortable driving in a heavy downpour, you should pull completely off the road and then turn on your hazard lights.

If you drive with your flashers on, you risk getting a ticket for a nonmoving violation [Kim didn't know why it's a nonmoving violation, since you're moving] that will cost you $71.50 in Volusia County and even more in others.

But, The Patrol doesn't expect to see many troopers, deputies or city cops getting drenched just because they want to write you up for illegal "flashing."