zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
Let's Debate: Flashers On Or Off In A Rain Storm?
Let's Debate: Flashers On Or Off In A Rain Storm?-September 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:19

Image for article titled Let's Debate: Flashers On Or Off In A Rain Storm?

Florida is considering a wild new law that goes against everything many of us have been taught. It’s considering allowing drivers the ability to turn on their flashers, or hazard lights, in heavy rain.

Now, most of us probably learned that this is a bad idea. Hazard lights are usually reserved for cars stopped on the side of the road—or even on the road proper—so you know they’re there and can slow down or avoid them. But Governor Ron DeSantis could sign a new piece of legislation that would allow you to use your flashers when driving at highway speeds of 55 mph or more, the .

In Florida, a lot of people ignore the law that states only stopped cars—or funeral processions—can use their flashers in the rain. Apparently, the response here is not to keep the law that promotes safe driving but to entirely change it.

To use the flashes at highway speeds causes several other problems. For one, it’s distracting as hell to have a ton of flashing lights going off all around you. I saw some folks retweeting the article from the Orlando Sentinel to state that race cars use flashing lights in the rain, but highway drivers should not ever be considered race car drivers. Ever.

Then there’s the fact that most cars use the same bulbs to power the flashers as they do turn signals. So, if all these people have their flashers going off, you’re not going to be able to tell who’s merging, changing lanes, or exiting highways. There’s no way to judge other drivers’ intents.

Of course, it also presents problems for stopped cars, since you may not be able to tell if a car is stopped or just driving slowly in a lane. Nervous drivers or people carrying unsteady or heavy loads often use their flashers in the rain to let other drivers know they’re traveling at drastically different speeds than the rest of traffic. If everyone is using their flashers, you’re not going to be able to distinguish between someone going highway speeds and someone going suburb speeds.

And this all neglects the fact that, if the rain is so bad you think you need flashers to drive highway speeds, you’re going way too fast already. Especially in a place like Florida, where cloudbursts are common but can often be pretty short.

I’ve yet to see a convincing argument for allowing flashers, other than the fact that people do it anyway so just letting them do it would cut down on unnecessary policing. But if you’re on that side of the fence, please try to convince me. I need to understand.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
At $14,900, Would Buying This 1946 Willys-Overland CJ2A Be A Memorable Experience?
At $14,900, Would Buying This 1946 Willys-Overland CJ2A Be A Memorable Experience?
Today’s Willys is the first civilian edition of the Jeep that helped win WWII. This being Memorial Day in the U.S., that seems fitting. We’ll have to decide if this bare-bones four-by-four’s price is equally fitting. The start of a long weekend always puts people in a good mood....
Sep 11, 2026
Watch A Drunk Old Golf Dude Slowly Rampage A Golf Cart And End Up On His Face
Watch A Drunk Old Golf Dude Slowly Rampage A Golf Cart And End Up On His Face
I know golf carts aren’t really cars, but, at the same time, they’re kind of cars. Smaller, slower, less of everything (and ), but they’re still motorized vehicles, and as such, it’s probably not a good idea to try and drive one while drunk. Someone maybe should have told...
Sep 11, 2026
West Virginia Might Give You A Ford F-150 If You Get The COVID-19 Vaccine
West Virginia Might Give You A Ford F-150 If You Get The COVID-19 Vaccine
States around the country are introducing new incentive plans in an effort to convince its residents to become fully vaccinated. Whether it’s entry into a lottery or a free donut, it’s been encouraging people to get the jab. But West Virginia knows what’s up. West Virginia might go ahead...
Sep 11, 2026
The Porsche-Designed Mercedes-Benz 500 E On Its 30th Birthday
The Porsche-Designed Mercedes-Benz 500 E On Its 30th Birthday
As I sat down to write this article, my husband took one look at the header image of the Mercedes-Benz 500 E and didn’t hesitate to ask, “Can I have one?” And on today, the car’s 30th birthday, it’s time to look back at the history of this Porsche-designed...
Sep 11, 2026
Electric Cars Need To Be Driven Further, Owned Longer To Offset Embedded Carbon: Report
Electric Cars Need To Be Driven Further, Owned Longer To Offset Embedded Carbon: Report
There has been a fairly consistent back-and-forth when it comes to the relative eco-friendliness of electric vehicles. While it’s obvious that they don’t emit carbon due to burning gasoline, other academics argue that EVs are still a detriment to the environment because carbon emissions are created when building or...
Sep 11, 2026
Let's Debate: Flashers On Or Off In A Rain Storm?
Let's Debate: Flashers On Or Off In A Rain Storm?
Florida is considering a wild new law that goes against everything many of us have been taught. It’s considering allowing drivers the ability to turn on their flashers, or hazard lights, in heavy rain. Now, most of us probably learned that this is a bad idea. Hazard lights are...
Sep 11, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved