# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/61 "2013-10-18T19:50:40Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yes, the standard UL I’m familiar with is called “lights out,” and the gang member, for their initiation, will drive around with their lights out and kill the person who flashes their high beams at them. > > The other one at the same time, around here, was female gangs hiding out under cars in malls (in my neighborhood, it was Ford City, which was known for gang activity) and slashing ankles as some sort of gang initiation. It sounded every bit as stupid and unlikely as the “lights out” UL. Info on both these legends from snopes. > **[Flashing Headlights Gang Initiation](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/lights-out/)** > > Warning about gang members driving around with their headlights off, then killing anyone who flashes them. > **[Slasher Under the Car](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-unkindest-cut/)** > > Do thieves hid under people's cars to slash their ankles? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/62 "2013-10-18T20:09:42Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > Info on both these legends from snopes. > [Flashing Headlights Gang Initiation | Snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com/crime/gangs/lightsout.asp) > [Slasher Under the Car | Snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com/horrors/robbery/slasher.asp) Interesting. The second one absolutely corresponds to the time and place I heard it: 1991 in Chicago. Although my version was slightly different, as it was supposed to be a female gang initiation, so it was females doing the slashing. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/63 "2013-10-18T20:50:26Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Interesting. The second one absolutely corresponds to the time and place I heard it: 1991 in Chicago. Although my version was slightly different, as it was supposed to be a female gang initiation, so it was females doing the slashing. I remember the one from Birmingham, AL in 1985. Your female gang version seems to be a pretty specific mutation of the legend. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/64 "2013-10-18T21:14:26Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Is this a whoosh or are all pizza delivery drivers odd people? > Personally I flash once, wait a few seconds, then switch to high beams if they’re really blinding me. If not I just let it go. This is what I do too. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/65 "2013-10-18T21:19:30Z")
Flash the highs once. Flash twice. Flash & add fog lights. Hint not taken? Add the Over heads & fry 'em like Mars Attacks. _ack-ack!_😉 ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2013, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/66 "2013-10-18T23:54:20Z")
I do nothing. My whole strategy when driving is to treat other drivers as incompetent idiots and figure out ways to avoid them. This one is easy, learn to drive by looking at the road line on the right side. ---
**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 19, 2013, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/67 "2013-10-19T00:34:51Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > Flash the highs once. Flash twice. Flash & add fog lights. > Hint not taken? Add the Over heads & fry 'em like Mars Attacks. > > _ack-ack!_😉 How long does it take you to pass someone going the other direction? ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/68 "2013-10-19T02:45:37Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > How long does it take you to pass someone going the other direction? I never made it without bright-ing. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/69 "2013-10-19T05:16:26Z")
I was in a car that hit another from the rear because it was sitting in the middle of the highway with it’s lights out talking to the one who had his brights on & blinding our driver. Looking at the white strip, if there even is one, is not always very safe. I know lots of people who have killed deer in just those situations. If your lights are blinding to other drivers no matter why & you don’t fix it you are … Yes you are. ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/70 "2013-10-19T07:13:37Z")
> [@BrickaBracka](#): > > 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 🙂 🙂 I LIKE your style. Note to self- buy 2 million candlepower spotlight. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2013, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/71 "2013-10-19T08:07:44Z")
> [@Accidental\_Martyr](#): > > Info on both these legends from snopes. > [Flashing Headlights Gang Initiation | Snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com/crime/gangs/lightsout.asp) > [Slasher Under the Car | Snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com/horrors/robbery/slasher.asp) Snopes is wrong in this instance. It is not an urban legend. In fact I was killed by a gang using that form of initiation. Admittedly, I later got better again but still, I was killed by Mexican gang bangers. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/72 "2013-10-20T17:05:58Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > 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. I turn my mirrors so their headlights reflect back on them. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/73 "2013-10-20T19:00:57Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > 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. Sometimes I am sorely tempted to turn on my two rear facing tractor lamps and two rear/downward facing fog lamps, but since I’d rather not be responsible for causing a crash, I just flip up my interior mirror to night mode and ignore the asshole. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ceej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Ceej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ceej)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/74 "2016-01-09T00:29:00Z")
Install a weaponised EMP in my car and force them to turn their brights off (and probably cause them a well-deserved, hopefully fatal, accident). At this point, 99.9999999% of cars on the road WILL NOT EVER TURN THEIR BRIGHTS OFF!! I have shined the flashlight on my phone back in their face, reangled my mirror so their own brights are in their face, deliberately driven aggressively, and pretty much everything that you could do to inform them they’re being a dick. The only thing left is to force them off the road. It’s the only thing that will work. And it should be done immediately by anyone who cares. Let’s take back our roads. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/75 "2016-01-09T02:29:45Z")
You realize this thread is 2 years old? I feel it’s certainly a problem that’s gotten worse since the thread was started. Rather than opting to avoid roads or going on a homocidal rampage I opted another route, I where a set of yellow sunglasses for driving at night. Night time glare bothers me a lot to begin with and they have the added benifit I don’t need to be concerned with what other drivers are doing with thier lights. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/76 "2016-01-09T03:06:44Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > You realize this thread is 2 years old? > > I feel it’s certainly a problem that’s gotten worse since the thread was started. Rather than opting to avoid roads or going on a homocidal rampage I opted another route, I where a set of yellow sunglasses for driving at night. Night time glare bothers me a lot to begin with and they have the added benifit I don’t need to be concerned with what other drivers are doing with thier lights. I still like the basic idea of a homicidal rage. Or at least shooting out some headlights. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2016, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/77 "2016-01-09T04:17:16Z")
I would assume the driver has his high beams on for some valid reason, and do nothing. I for one turn my high beams on just before going over the top of a hill. I read somewhere that if you leave your low beams on, the lights will be right in the eyes of someone going up the other side - and I have been on the receiving end of my share of lights in this situation. There was also the time when my alternator gave out, and the car responded by kicking up the voltage to the point where both of my normal headlights burned out, forcing me to switch to high beams. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2016, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/78 "2016-01-10T21:19:30Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > I would assume the driver has his high beams on for some valid reason, and do nothing. > > I for one turn my high beams on just before going over the top of a hill. I read somewhere that if you leave your low beams on, the lights will be right in the eyes of someone going up the other side - and I have been on the receiving end of my share of lights in this situation. There was also the time when my alternator gave out, and the car responded by kicking up the voltage to the point where both of my normal headlights burned out, forcing me to switch to high beams. To further feed this zombie, I can’t count the number of times someone has flashed their brights at me when I was using my low beams. I don’t know if they’re idiots, or if all headlights look bright when you haven’t passed another vehicle for awhile. On the hill thing, there are some cars that switch between high and low beams, but most cars I’ve driven the high beams come on in addition to the lows, not instead of. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/79 "2016-01-11T01:09:20Z")
**Doug** , some vehicles out there simply are very bright and intrusive, even on low beams, including ones on those jacked-up pickups with 6 foot wide tires, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2016, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500/80 "2016-01-11T12:30:29Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > **Doug** , some vehicles out there simply are very bright and intrusive, even on low beams, including ones on those jacked-up pickups with 6 foot wide tires, for instance. I’ve never owned a vehicle that matched either description, especially not the Dodge Colt I used to have, which was the one it happened the most in. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-approaching-vehicle-has-the-high-beams-on-how-do-you-respond/671500.md?page=5)