Radar Headlight Flashers

Yes Steve at the bottom of a long straight downhill strectch. I hate having to brake because it is a waste of energy ie fuel
Pete

Well back in Paradise it is not a crime to flash your lights to warn of a speed camera as it is here.
The Police take the view that at least people slow down which is what they want them to do.
In my hometown there is a fixed speed camera part way up a long hill. Most locals know its there and only speed up after passing it ( it points toward you down the hill).
However the police are a bit cunning and quite often put a mobile camera just around the corner a bit further up the hill.
It gets twice as many as the fixed one cos its not always there and some like to gamble.
They also have cameras in both the front and back of a vehicle so can get you either way and theirs will pick up on both sides of a multilane road.
Moral of story is dont speed and you wont have to pay.

Graham H

It maybe not an offence to flash your headlights to warn others about a speed camera in QLD. However there is an offence for flashing high beam when 200 metres from an approaching, or when following another vehicle. That includes day or night.

I don't care about headlight flashers for notifying other of speed cameras, but I cant believe the intelligence of those who warn other drivers that there is a random breath testing/drug testing station positioned up the road. I often wonder if they would be so happy to warn others if one of their family or friends were killed by the actions of a drug or alcohol affeted driver.

Sorry, gents but you are wrong, it is illegal in Queensland, as well as anywhere else in Australia to warn of a the presence of the police or radar by flashing your lights. If you flash your headlights to warn of a radar it regarded as Obstructing Police and you will get fined, as a mate of mine was, if caught south of Rockhampton.

The other thing is it is also illegal to use high beam unless in such a manner as well.

Here you go.

444 Offence to assault or obstruct police officer

(1) A person must not assault or obstruct a police officer in the
performance of the officer's duties.

Maximum penalty--40 penalty units or 6 months imprisonment.

(2) For subsection (1), a person who obstructs a police dog or police horse under the control of a police officer in the performance of the police officer's duties is taken to obstruct the police officer.

(3) In this section--

assault has the meaning given by the Criminal Code, section 245.

obstruct includes hinder, resist and attempt to obstruct.

I was actually referring to New Zealand as Paradise not Queerland
LOL

I agree about the RBT checks no one should get a warning about them

Grahan H

I am not sure how long ago you were in NZ but I came over to OZ in 2000 and it was certainly illegal to flash your lights to warn others even then

I came over in 2002 and am positve I read in the paper that the police themselves looked upon it as an aid to getting people to slow down rather than an offence against the police.
I used to do it and so did most others. Never ever saw anyone fined for doing it.
Whether it was actually illegal Im not sure but definitely remember the article as when I cam here I couldnt believe it was an offence.
Dont do it here Let the idiots get caught. My work vehicle is speed limited to 102kph so I cant get caught I reckon as its all flat going and no matter how hard I try it wont go over that.LOL

Its funy isn't it, how Graam thinks his homeland is paradise yet he lives in Queensland and then slags it by calling it queerland.

If its so queer I'm sure you could return to paradise? I know where I'd rather live.

I was joking, havent you got a sense of humour and my name is not GRAAM

Reply to KiwiAngler.
I emailed the Transport Dept in good old NZ who referred me to the Police
This is what I sent

"We are having a discussion here in Australia about flashing headlights to warn of speed cameras. It is an offence here but I was under the impression that when I left NZ in 2002 it was not over there.
I seem to remember a news item where the police said that it was better to flash and slow them down than not.

Can you confirm or not that it is/ was an offence to do this in NZ"
Today I got this reply

Graham
You win - no it's not. L

It came from here

information@police.govt.nz

1 nil to me LOL


And to Wizard1 At least Im a member

You having my problem with the Server playing up at the moment? :-)

It has gone crazy....

Andrew

yep.............

short answers, no preview is the way to go :-)

Andrew

How often do you think a speeding motorcyclist kills a car driver? Don`t think you slow them down either as its fairly obvious to bike riders that some people feel the need to flash for the fun of it.

If it really didnt work (which is garbage as many a speeding motorcyclist and vehicle have slowed down when i have done it, even it is only for the kilometre or two) then what's the harm?

How do these motorcyclists know it isn't real? How can it be "fairly obvious"?

BTW, "someone" could possibly mean themselves!

Andrew

I have ridden bikes on and off for the past 20 odd years and have had plenty of car drivers flash me when speeding by a fair amount.
People that flash rapidly as you approach them at high speed normally are the ones to ignore. You also look at the person driving and judge them by age, driving style and general look on their face.

Most motorcyclists also understand the risk of their hobby,ride to suit the conditions, their ability and don`t need the pitiful attempt of someone like yourself trying to save lives.

If your so concerned about saving lives maybe you could hang out at smokers lounges and pull smokes out of peoples mouths.

Ok, you have gone from using "your experience" to assume that ALL riders are in the same category....hmmm.

Again, i am saying to you that when i do it, it works. Maybe it has to do with the speed of the flashes, the fact that i make hand gestures to indicate to slow down and estimated distance/time and want them to summise that "i'm on your side".

If you dont like it, then ignore it.....your choice.

{{....,ride to suit the conditions, their ability ...}}

What ever happen to riding to the general requirement of the law.....or should we just turn into a lawless society where you can do what you want, when you want. A very poor reasoning for breaking the law IMO.

and don't patronise me with that crap about pulling smokes out of other mouths....

I understand that you will disagree with my reasoning....that is part of your nature being a motorcyclist, and i understand that. I will continue to do what i feel is necessary, and you will obviously do the same. I just hope that we all end up outliving our driver's licences. :-)

Andrew

So long as it makes you happy do it.... I will continue to speed and make my own judgments

I answered your question but due to yet another SERVER APPLICATION UNAVAILABLE error, it got lost. Emailed EO re the error but can't be bothered redoing the answer until this site is fixed once and for all.

What was the answer gramps?

Bonz,

Yes. Now I'll wait for the troglodytes to start assuming.

Footy,

Sorry, meant to include you in my response to Bonz. The answer to your question is YES.

Lionel, interesting comment "they have this 'THEM AND US' view to society." I was interested working in the Commonwealth Games Village back in 2006 to have the police talk about life outside in some of the outer western areas in those terms. In the CGV we were all working on the same thing, and talking to everyone

Hi John, I think the police, by the very nature of the job, acquire a certain mind set.

Probably see more bad than good in people, get lied to, attacked and despised by certain sections of society.

My mates cant seem to switch-off from the job, most of their socialising is done amoungst their own collegues.

I think the old adage "once a cop always a cop" is generally true.

Wouldnt have their job for quids, wouldnt want to see what they have to see, have to hear or have to do.

Cheers......Lionel.

You have to ask why they seek a job in which they spend their working lives controlling others? It's an unhealthy desire and one we should be cautious of, we need to ensure they are constrained in their power. The current situation in Victoria, highlighted by the OPI, seems to confirm this.

In my experience around the world... Oz is amongst the worst Western countries I have encountered for the depth of division between police and public.

Mike Harding

How can the covering of number plates possibly save lives?

Andrew

Doesn't save lives saves money and points.

Yes Axle they always patrol the really good bits of road where it would be quite safe to do 115.
Cheers Pete

Jimbo.....boiled lollies eh !!!

Times have changed my good friend....Chocolate bars, tobacco and alco-pops are whats in demand these days....hehehe.

Cheers......Lionel.

I still find offering a packet of twisties from my lap opened both ends works best....

I see your point....So if this said speeding motorist was doing the speed limit and killed your family because, They fell asleep,sending text messages, drunk, stoned, inexperienced, weren't concentrating, etc.
You would be fine for the cops to handle it by just putting a speed camera down the road from the crash site?
I have a blackspot near where I live and that is all they do and everyone in the area knows that speeding has not been a factor.

But a least brainwashed people like yourself think the government care.

Not brainwashed Stu-k, just realistic. Govt do care because "less car injuries = less cost to them".

Yes, I agree SOME speed camera locations are a 'revenue raising' exercise, but not all. On a road like the Hume I do find it a little mystifying because if you run off the road at 100klm or 110 & hit a tree it doesnt matter, you are dead. But, for arguments sake, if you have a blowout & you are doing 100 instead of 110, you do have a better chance of bringing the car under control. The lower the speed, the greater chance of survival; this cannot be disputed.

I have no issue with any speed camera set up in residential streets where the limit maybe 50 klm etc. Some do not believe that 5 or 10klm makes a difference, but it does when it comes to stopping a vehicle. If some dont believe that, well they shouldnt have a licence; or maybe they should do a driver training course to see what difference 5-10klm can make.

Whether we like it or not, speed cameras are here to stay. Take the risk, your call, but dont whinge about them because most of us speed far more regularily than we get caught. If we were all honest, if we got caught everytime we sped, none of us would have our licences.

Sorry to say, but am wasting my breath on any 4wd forum, as the biggiest whingers when it comes to speed cameras, police presence etc are 4wders.

No, no allanmac, you've got it wrong - speed is good:

A safe speed

With that line of thinking we should all be traveling at 25 kph on freeways. Then the hopeless driver training would be fine

Stu-k, think you are now pushing the boundaries to the extreme. I never said driver training was the 'be all end all', but the one think it does demonstrate is the difference 5-10klm does make trying to stop a vehicle.

Obviously you are Australia's best driver/rider, so I would be interested to hear how you would go about reducing the carnage on the roads. From some of your comments, it seems that you think speed plays only a minor role, which is a ridiculous statement.

Contrary to what some believe; doesnt take much skill to drive a vehicle fast; any idiot can do this.

Anyway, still think anyone who flashes is doing the community no favours, no matter what lame excuse they use to justify it.

Cheers

Yes 5-10 kph does make a difference but what I meant was...should we make 100k zones 90k or 80 or 70k zones the slower you go the less braking distance. 100 is not some magical figure that if you don`t exceed you wont die( the gov try and convince us otherwise)

No way I would say I m the best driver in oz but I would like to think I m about average. I drive about 600-700ks a week in Brisbane, a lot of the time towing large heavy trailers. Have also done four motorcycle courses and countless track days.

If you think it takes no skill to drive fast go and visit a race track and give it a shot.

Lack of concentration is a major problem because for a lot of people driving is only secondary to what there doing. Most days I see people sending text messages, talking on the phone, looking at the passenger beside or even behind them. I have also see builders reading plans on their steering wheels!

It is becoming the mentality that so long as you don't speed you won`t get booked.
I find the people that speed a little(10 or so over) at least watch the road and concentrate. School zones are a classic, have followed people into school zone that think its a great time to change cd`s or look anywhere but where there going.

Licenses should be a lot more involved to get, at least a few driver trainer courses on closed tracks etc.

We should be training people to be aware of there surroundings and to drive appropriately. To concentrate on there driving at all times.
Speed is a beat up factor because in a crash investigation if the vehicles involved are proved to be doing 1k over the limit speed is a factor.

Radar is not the answer.

Whilst we agree to disagee on some things, I agree that licencing should be far more difficult than it is. I drive anywhere between 1-2k per week & no doubt like you, are amazed at the idiotic behaviour on the roads. Problem is most drivers, male & female, do not appreciate that driving a motor vehicle is probably the most dangerous thing all of us do everyday & to do it properly requires concentarate & obeying road rules, ie speed limits/stop signs, rd lights etc, whether we agree with them or not.

I did not advocate we should all drive at 70-80klm etc, as there are some roads, such as sections of the Hume where the limit could be 120kph. But then you will have drivers who say, "I'll do 130 or 135" etc etc.

Again, if any driver wants to break the law, I'm not going to flash to help them get away with it.

(BTW, have been lucky enough to race at every racetrack in Vic & a few interstate)

Same here ! Many years ago I would flash to warn of radars now I flash idiots and check to see if the break lights come on.

I have seen the leftovers of to many speeding cars that have come unstuck.

Life is to precious to be spent as a vegetable in a rehabilitation ward.

I have no objection if speeding motorists kill themselves I do object to them killing or injuring innocent others or injuring themselves so they need to be cared for in public funded hospitals.

Has there been any leftovers as a result of your flashing and someone has slammed their brakes on and the following car has tailended it. Something to consider

This does not happen if people travel with a safe distance between them and the car ahead.

minimum 2 second gap in good conditions minimum 5 second gap on a wet road.

The operative word here is" if"

Here in Queensland you can change the word seconds and substitute meters which is more like the truth.

And it doesnt alway change to 5 in the wet either.

Most times I cant see the number plates of a car following me at 100kph as they are too close behind me.

I had just such an idiot behind us yesterday :-(

He was bullying people off the road and sitting inches behind them. The traffic was slowed to a crawl because of an accident on a 2 lane highway and he was still weaving from lane to lane and taking stupid risks. Unfortunately we were in Margo's little car or he would have had an accident running into the back of my truck as we went past the police at the accident scene. I doubt he would have been happy to take a drug or booze test. He was off his face on something.

makes alot of difference.
BTW i copped a flash about 3 1/2 months back still waiting for the bill (will be my first in 12 years). i was on an unfamiure road and assumed it to be 70 (was doing about 68) if i had been flashed being unsure of the limit i would have checked my speed and backed of to 60.
So a flash can be a reminer to those wanting to do the right thing not just help habitual speeders (being a 1hz owner i definitly am not)

It's not the fall that hurts

It is the sudden stop at the bottom that does the damage :-(

Sadly you are still just as dead or injured.

VxM2

if speed is 2 and mass is 2 then the equation = 16
if speed is 4 and mass is 2 then the equation = 64

and so on up the range.