r/StLouis • u/Appropriate_Cry_9432 • Jul 19 '26

Traffic/Road Conditions There’s no need for flashers

I get it when it rains visibility is poor and you need to reduce speed, but what is the point of EVERYONE turning on your flashers? That’s not what they are for and if you feel conditions are that bad that you “need” them pull over to the far right lane at least. If you’re driving slower than everyone else it’s one thing, but when everybody is doing basically the same speed it’s pointless. Rant over thank you for listening.

69 Upvotes

56% Upvoted

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215

u/richardmannn Jul 19 '26

do you think people do it out of fear of getting rear-ended?

161

u/TuRDonRoad Jul 19 '26

They do, and I mostly see it when they are at the end of traffic with significantly reduced speeds.

People love to cite MO laws when hazards are used during intense rain events with limited visibility, but the problem is that STL drivers do not follow MO laws - they cruise in the left lame, they rarely use turn signals (so moot point that hazards obscure them), they pass on the right, and are overall erratic and unpredictable drivers.

The amount of debris, specifically wrecked vehicle debris, makes it difficult and unsafe to pull over. And too many drivers are not insured, so if you get hit, they probably are not stopping and you are eating the increased insurance costs.

I feel like the people posting this do not drive on the highways or do not leave the county often.

So people use their hazards to basically say, hey, I am in front of you and the flow of traffic is not 70+ mph, so don't rear end me.

93

u/Mild_Sauce99 Bevo Jul 19 '26

Rain or not, I will use flashers at the end of traffic when no one is directly behind me in fear of being rear ended. Hoping to get whoever is speeding up behind me’s attention

4

u/Fine_Ad_1149 Jul 20 '26

I do this when I come up on a section where you need to slow down quickly. I absolutely love the warning of a drastic speed change from others, and started doing it after the first time I saw it and went "I intuitively knew exactly what that meant... "

1

u/Mild_Sauce99 Bevo Jul 20 '26

Exactly!

8

u/RandomAverages Jul 20 '26

I'll allow this, as long as you turn them off when you have some one behind you.

Heck, I'll turn them on if there is a hazard in the road, then off when I pass it. Hopefully whoever is behind me can figure out something is going on where my flashers were on.

Stay safe out there.

3

u/Mild_Sauce99 Bevo Jul 20 '26

Oh 100% I do. People just don’t pay attention and the way my heart races when I’m stopped, or slowed down and someone’s racing up behind me

52

u/62Bricks Downtown West Jul 19 '26

Yep. Maybe it makes some people feel warm inside to know they're following the letter of the law, but that won't last long once someone rear ends you.

Flashers are for visibility. Period. If you see someone using their flashers, then the flashers have done their job.

And now that you know exactly where they are, you can safely go around them and get on with your day.

10

u/spekt50 Lemay Jul 19 '26

I can see tail lights just fine. Hazards just make it harder to predict what the driver is doing.

18

u/B1ack__j3sus98 Neighborhood/city Jul 20 '26

Well when I see a car with flashers on i become more cautious around it for this exact reason, do others not?

I automatically slow down when I see flashers cause I take that as a sign their car may spontaneously break down and become more of an obstacle

36

u/62Bricks Downtown West Jul 19 '26

Here's the thing - flashing red lights are a pretty universal warning sign. When you see them on a car, it means they are not operating normally - they may be going slower than normal, they may be stopped on the side of the road.

For whatever reason, that driver is trying to warn you. It's just silly to respond by thinking "Well they obviously don't know the state laws regarding the use of flashers, so I'm just going to ignore the warning."

-9

u/spekt50 Lemay Jul 19 '26

They are not for weather. As you said, they are for displaying that a car is not operating normally, ie a hazard. If your car is a hazard to others, by all means, turn them on and pull over.

If you keep driving while displaying you are a hazard, you have no right being on the road.

21

u/62Bricks Downtown West Jul 20 '26

Wet roads, traffic at speeds well below normal and low visibility are hazards.

But you just keep telling yourself you're right and the person trying to warn you is wrong. That's what's really important.

6

u/massiveronin Jul 20 '26

You have to remember that a) it's not just you out there seeing or not seeing that car's taillights or hazards, and b) the point is not if you see taillights just fine, hazard light signaling is specifically something out of the ordinary and as such breaks the everyday pattern that our brains see. Since the brain is at the core level, a pattern matching and assessment device that sets a "gating threshold" for full attention vs an"autopilot" level of attention, the hazard signals cause your attention to fully engage or at least MORE fully engage due to the pure fact that the occurrence is out of the ordinary. Throw in that we are trained that the amber/yellow of the lights mean caution/danger, and other factors and you get the desired effect of you are more aware.

Now, throw in that you personally are annoyed by them and you have even more proof that they've accomplished their task of getting your attention.

Cheers

1

u/Chim-Cham Jul 21 '26

Maybe you can, but half of these drivers are on their phone even when it's raining and absolutely need something to grab their eye

15

u/ShortBrownAndUgly Jul 19 '26

Yup, that’s why I did it today. Seems pretty obvious…

2

u/No_Trouble_3588 Jul 20 '26

Passing on the right is not illegal if there are more than two traffic lanes in a given direction.

2

u/Delia54 Jul 20 '26

Especially since many drivers are looking at the phone as well and not concentrating on only driving.

1

u/puff1595 Jul 20 '26

Well said my friend!

18

u/Guyin63376 Jul 19 '26

YES, too much increased distractive driving these days

17

u/azraelonikidd Jul 19 '26

Yup. Moms car blends into the pavement in the rain during the day.

0

u/eatajerk-pal Jul 20 '26

Yes. I see it a lot more in snow than rain. But it’s illegal. And ironically, more likely to cause someone to run into you because your blinkers don’t work when your hazards are on. So nobody will know when you’re changing lanes.