New Flashing Front Lights seen today

[vey]

on a motorcycle.

Observation 1: Law enforcement cars oftentimes use high/low beam
flashing headlights in addition to red or blue flashing lights. These
flashing headlights are often more visible, on unmarked cars, than the
flashing lights on the dashboard or behind the grill.

Observation 2: Law enforcement has decided to use more unmarked cars
(and pickup trucks) than in years past. Previously reserved for
detectives, now unmarked cars are being used by uniformed officers and
even by officers assigned to traffic work. Other than the flashing
headlights and the red lights behind the front grill, no one would know
that the car was a police car if it wasn't in pursuit.

In light of the above, I was surprised to see a civilian motorcycle with
three headlights in a triangle flashing high/low in succession during
daylight hours. This guy was stopping traffic and the cars were letting
him drive by.

I guess what he was doing was legal, but perhaps the flashing lights
have gotten a bit out of hand?

 

[Werehatrack]

On Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:54:29 -0500, vey <[email protected]> may have
said:

>I guess what he was doing was legal, but perhaps the flashing lights
>have gotten a bit out of hand?

Actually, he was probably breaking the law. In most states, it is
illegal to drive with the hazard warning lights activated unless there
is a hazard present; merely driving along with the hazard lights
flashing is a minor infraction, and seldom merits a ticket. The
headlights, while they technically could be used for signalling (the
US codes defining headlamps provide for them to be used in a flashing
mode for signalling) are not formally considered hazard warning lamps,
and many states sepficially reserve the use of flashing headlamps as a
marker of an emergency vehicle. Using flashing headlamps (either
on/off or low/high continuous automated flashing) on a non-emergency
vehicle would be an infraction of varying severity in such a state.

My guess is that he had the flashing capability added for use in
parades or escort duty, and didn't realize that he had it on in normal
traffic. Some cops with limited senses of humor would arrest the
rider for impersonating a police officer, a charge that would usually
stick.

--
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Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[vey]

Werehatrack wrote:
> On Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:54:29 -0500, vey <[email protected]> may have
> said:
>
>> I guess what he was doing was legal, but perhaps the flashing lights
>> have gotten a bit out of hand?
>
> Actually, he was probably breaking the law. In most states, it is
> illegal to drive with the hazard warning lights activated unless there
> is a hazard present; merely driving along with the hazard lights
> flashing is a minor infraction, and seldom merits a ticket.

I would have thought so, too. But it seems Federal law has trumped State
law once again.
See:
http://www.abate-of-maryland.org/NHTSAModulatingHeadlight.htm

"This means that, under 49 U.S.C. 30103(b)(1), a State may have its own
standard which allows a motorcycle headlamp to be wired to modulate in
the same manner as prescribed under S7.9.4. However, since the Federal
standard specifically allows a modulation of motorcycle headlamps, a
State may not establish or continue in effect a standard prohibiting a
headlamp that modulates in accordance with S7.9.4 of Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108. As our letter to AMA notes, we
distinguish between a flashing lamp (one that goes from either the upper
or lower beam to off) and a modulating lamp (one that goes from a higher
to a lower intensity within either the upper or lower beam). However,
the Maryland prohibition against lamps that oscillate or feature any
"other type of emission of light" could be interpreted to include any
lamp whose light is not steady-burning when the lamp is activated,
whether or not it is intended to apply to a motorcycle's modulating
headlamp."

 

[raging raven]

Headlight modulation has been a controversial subject since I can't
remember. The reality is that even though there are specific laws in
place, they are neither uniformly known nor enforced. I have been
pulled over and ticketed for a amber headlight in my vintage bmw
motorcycle that had been in the bike for over a year - the city police
officer insisted that white was the only acceptable color. My
research afterwards indicated that the state law allowed for amber and
white, the city law was vague, and it wasn't worth fighting the minor
ticket. The constant increase of lights and flashing devices will
soon have us all covered in rotating flashing beeping strobes just to
go to the corner and get the mail.

 

[vey]

raging raven wrote:
> The constant increase of lights and flashing devices will
> soon have us all covered in rotating flashing beeping strobes just to
> go to the corner and get the mail.

Do you think that all those flashes and beeps will affect the
"distracted driver"? The ones that are yacking on the phone, looking for
a CD, eating or putting on makeup?

 

[raging raven]

> Do you think that all those flashes and beeps will affect the
> "distracted driver"? The ones that are yacking on the phone, looking for
> a CD, eating or putting on makeup?

Nope, they always were and always will be too selfish to bothered with
paying attention to anything other than themselves and their perceived
needs. I've been hit by cars/pickup truck while riding by bicycle
twice on the road, and once on a bike path (by a cop in squad car
cruising through the park!) All mid-day, pre-cell phones, full sun,
few distractions. Each time they were messing with radio, talking to
passengers or just plain crazy

 

[Werehatrack]

On Wed, 02 Jan 2008 15:25:48 -0500, vey <[email protected]> may have
said:

>raging raven wrote:
>> The constant increase of lights and flashing devices will
>> soon have us all covered in rotating flashing beeping strobes just to
>> go to the corner and get the mail.
>
>Do you think that all those flashes and beeps will affect the
>"distracted driver"? The ones that are yacking on the phone, looking for
>a CD, eating or putting on makeup?

No, and they also won't do anything good for the folks who truly
*need* to get the attention of the rest of the people on the road,
namely the emergency vehicle drivers. Everything that blurs the line
which clearly differentiates "civilian" from "emergency" vehicles
serves to impair the passage of the latter, since it delays (even if
only by possibly-critical splits of a second) the recognition of their
presence and status, and the reaction that needs to occur.

Among other things, the Feds need to retract that ill-conceived
permission, move the CAFE tightening up by 6 years, and enact a
nationwide ban on non-emergency cell phone usage by drivers in motion
nationwide (with easing of the procedures to get access to a cell
user's call records in the event of a perceived infraction) if they
really want to start doing something about cycle safety, both motor
and HPV.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[Michael Press]

In article
<[email protected]>,
Werehatrack <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:54:29 -0500, vey <[email protected]> may have
> said:
>
> >I guess what he was doing was legal, but perhaps the flashing lights
> >have gotten a bit out of hand?
>
> Actually, he was probably breaking the law. In most states, it is
> illegal to drive with the hazard warning lights activated unless there
> is a hazard present; merely driving along with the hazard lights
> flashing is a minor infraction, and seldom merits a ticket. The
> headlights, while they technically could be used for signalling (the
> US codes defining headlamps provide for them to be used in a flashing
> mode for signalling) are not formally considered hazard warning lamps,
> and many states sepficially reserve the use of flashing headlamps as a
> marker of an emergency vehicle. Using flashing headlamps (either
> on/off or low/high continuous automated flashing) on a non-emergency
> vehicle would be an infraction of varying severity in such a state.
>
> My guess is that he had the flashing capability added for use in
> parades or escort duty, and didn't realize that he had it on in normal
> traffic. Some cops with limited senses of humor would arrest the
> rider for impersonating a police officer, a charge that would usually
> stick.

California Vehicle Code

Motorcycles: Headlamp Flasher

25251.2. Any motorcycle may be equipped with a means
of modulating the upper beam of the headlamp between a
high and a lower brightness at a rate of 200 to 280
flashes per minute. Such headlamps shall not be so
modulated during darkness.

--
Michael Press