# An approaching vehicle has the high beams on. How do you respond? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 17, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500 "2013-10-17T17:24:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/1 "2013-10-17T17:24:01Z")
See the poll. ---
**Author:** ![BrickaBracka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BrickaBracka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickaBracka)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/2 "2013-10-17T17:51:09Z")
ETA: Other. When I was a pizza delivery guy, I carried a 2 million candlepower spotlight beam in my car for the purpose of identifying house numbers in my rural area late at night. My response to unrepentant hi-beamers? (the ones who didn’t turn them off after being politely flashed with my lights) I pulled out the spotlight and blinded their ass immediately as they passed me. It only takes a couple second burst of photon POWAH!! If they crash, I don’t care. Fuck you and your high beams, blinding me with no concern for whether I can see the road after you pass and my night vision is all ruined. I have an eidetic memory, so it made for some lovely images of the faces of the drivers when they got flashed 🙂 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/3 "2013-10-17T17:57:59Z")
I read somewhere that gangs use this as an initiation and will kill the first driver who flashes their high beams at them ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/4 "2013-10-17T17:58:45Z")
I responded with the quick lo-hi-lo flash, but I have begun to avoid even that. I read that there are gangs that deliberately try to provoke such action from oncoming motorists and then proceed to shoot them. That seems excessive to me for trying to be polite so I just squint or look away. ETA: PSXer and I must read the same stuff! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/5 "2013-10-17T17:58:48Z")
Sometimes they flash the high beams to scare the killer hiding in your backseat. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/6 "2013-10-17T18:01:00Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > I read somewhere that gangs use this as an initiation and will kill the first driver who flashes their high beams at them Come on man, that’s one of the oldest urban legends in the modern urban legend book and you know it. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/7 "2013-10-17T18:04:46Z")
It depends. Is it a 737? ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/8 "2013-10-17T18:09:05Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > I read somewhere that gangs use this as an initiation and will kill the first driver who flashes their high beams at them > [@Zeldar](#): > > I responded with the quick lo-hi-lo flash, but I have begun to avoid even that. I read that there are gangs that deliberately try to provoke such action from oncoming motorists and then proceed to shoot them. That seems excessive to me for trying to be polite so I just squint or look away. Again, I might be being wooshed, but this is a myth that’s been around for at least forty years. I’ve never heard of an instance of it actually happening. Besides, why do they need you to flash your lights before shooting you? Is it more of a challenge if they’re blinded? To the OP: Other: I turn my headlights OFF briefly, then back on. That supposedly has a much lower risk of blinding the other driver. Then I shoot them.:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/9 "2013-10-17T18:17:58Z")
Hmmm, I must be the lone meanie here. I switch on my high beams and keep them on until (and if) they turn theirs off. Perhaps I’m being overly passive-aggressive about it. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/10 "2013-10-17T18:19:17Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > To the OP: Other: I turn my headlights OFF briefly, then back on. That supposedly has a much lower risk of blinding the other driver. That’s what I was always taught to do. If you flash your brights at them you wind up with two blinded drivers heading towards each other. Not exactly a recipe for success. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/11 "2013-10-17T18:22:44Z")
Related question: What do you do when the driver behind you has his high beams on? You can, of course flip the rear view mirror to night mode, but I wish there was a way to let them know it’s annoying people in front of them. Especially when the person in front is me. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/12 "2013-10-17T18:22:53Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Come on man, that’s one of the oldest urban legends in the modern urban legend book and you know it. I was going to say that I flash my high beams and if they flash back, me and my gang hunt them down and murder them. Seriously though. I don’t understand why there are so many polls on the SDMB about things that I thought were pretty much unanimously understood among most humans. If someone has their high beams on, you briefly flash yours. You don’t turn on your high beams and you sure as hell don’t turn OFF your headlights. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/13 "2013-10-17T18:29:45Z")
Just wait until I get the cigarette-lighter adapter for my 1.21 Gigawatt laser. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/14 "2013-10-17T18:31:06Z")
Anybody here take formal driver training (I didn’t)? What is the official word from the official instructor in an official class? ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/15 "2013-10-17T18:36:05Z")
My driver’s training said to flash your high beams. If they don’t dim, look to the side of the road as much as is safe to protect your vision. Do NOT getting into a high-beam duel - two blind drivers are not better than one. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/16 "2013-10-17T18:37:58Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Anybody here take formal driver training (I didn’t)? What is the official word from the official instructor in an official class? Flashing your lights (not your brights) is what I was taught in 1995. But it was just an opinion not law or policy or ‘right’ in any way. But I like it. But I should probably mention that I typically ignore it. If they’re really bright I try to look down at the center line or keep my eyes focused on the cars around me. It’s too tempting to stare right into the brights otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![BrickaBracka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BrickaBracka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickaBracka)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/17 "2013-10-17T19:00:47Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Hmmm, I must be the lone meanie here. I switch on my high beams and keep them on until (and if) they turn theirs off. Perhaps I’m being overly passive-aggressive about it. 😛 Sheesh. And I thought I was a total dick about it. Here my jerk stunt gets barely a passing look of disgust. Good to know, I’ll continue doing it 😃 ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/18 "2013-10-17T19:04:07Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Anybody here take formal driver training (I didn’t)? What is the official word from the official instructor in an official class? It was about two decades ago that I attended a Chicago traffic school (I got caught speeding - 12 mph over) that was run by a Northwestern Univ associate. He stated that people should NOT flash their brights at oncoming vehicles running with their bright lights on and cited the same “gang member initiation looking for someone to shoot” that was mentioned earlier. But that was in Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/19 "2013-10-17T19:04:15Z")
Has anyone else noticed an uptick in people leaving high beams on during the day lately? It seems that, along with not being able to stay in your own lane, have increased in the last year or so. Grumble grumble, get off my lawn… ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/20 "2013-10-17T19:10:01Z")
I never knew there was something you were supposed to “do” about other people with high beams on. People have flashed their high beams at me from all directions without me doing anything wrong. No high beams of my own on, no turn signal left on, not going too slow, no flat tire, no light out, no cops nearby, no killer in my backseat, nada. So I assumed flashing them was just an asshole sort of thing. So I don’t do anything about people’s high beams and just keep driving. I also remember hearing something about flashing your high beams could be construed as warning people of a nearby cop car, which was some sort of ticketable offense…or some hogwash like that. No idea if it’s real. As far as I’m concerned, high beams in general are slightly assholish where I live. I never put them on because even in rural PA I feel like I’d have to turn them off and back on again every minute because there’s still that many cars passing me on the road. Don’t know why anyone bothers. And cars DO turn them off…yeah, sure, at the very last second. You’ve been shining me with your highs for the last two thousand feet, it’s not exactly helping to turn them off NOW. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500.md?page=2)