Why the white flag on cars in Virginia?

Factual Questions
1

I’ve been living here in Virginia for about a year and a half. Several months ago, a coworker pointed out a strange practice that I see over and over again. Whenever a car is stopped by the side of the road (presumably disabled), it almost always has a white t-shirt, towel or some other white object hanging from the driver’s side window. Why is this? I thought the standard method of conveying distress was by raising the hood of the car. Why do Virginians leave white flags on their cars?

2

According to my driving manual, which I’m studying to get my license, having a white object from the driver’s side window is just another way to indicate distress. It must just be a Virginia custom.

3

I’ve always viewed it as a way of saying “this car is broken down/out of gas, not illegally parked.”

4

“This is not an abandoned car” was what my friends and I understood it to mean.

I’d never noticed it was only in Virginia.

5

It’s the law in North Carolina.

6

Putting the hood up means “I want my battery stolen.” A rag or some such in the window still allows all of the doors and hood to remain locked. As far as I am aware there is no requirement for the color of the rag. Maybe there is legally, but in practice any old rag will do, at least in VA, PA, and WV.

7

Do the police stop by and put bright orange stickers on the car eventually?

8

This used to be recommended in our area but is now discouraged. There were attacks on women waiting in cars with white flags. Police now recommend just calling for help and waiting. (Have an emergency 911 phone in the car if you don’t have a regular cell phone.)

9

From what I can tell of the South on “Real TV,” if it’s a T-shirt it means “I am attending a rally of ATVs driving around in mud with my shirt off.”

10

IIRC, the change from hood-up to white cloth came because of caution. The dangers are muggers and accidents. If you get out of the car to raise the hood, you risk getting clipped by a passing car or a mugger. The police advise that you stay in your locked car until police arrive. Sounds kinda pessimistic and scary, doesn’t it?