Occasionally when you’re driving, you’ll make a mistake and perhaps need to adjust and it can create some awkward situations. Like today, my dad ended up in the wrong lane to go straight instead of turn at a light. He had to cut in line to make sure we could go the right way. It’d be nice if we could communicate “sorry, I screwed up. Excuse me. I just need to slip in there.”
Right now all we have for inter car communication is the horn, which has kind of an aggressive implication to it. This is for trying to de-escalate potential road rage.
Three or four blinks of the four-way / hazard lights is commonly used as “Thank you”. That would be appropriate for someone who let you in.
This isn’t a thing where I live but I wish it was!
I’ve only seen that in Eastern Europe, but as both a “thank you” and also “oh, shit, sorry.”
Western Europe too. But then again there are a lot of eastern European truck drivers here.
I have never heard of this and would genuinely think the person was having an issue. Where I’m from people just put a hand up as a wave. You lower most of your fingers if they tried to cut you off.
The way people communicate in cars using hazard lights is country specific usually in my experience.
I love how you phrased this.
Hmm, I thought this was more common, is it not used in the states or something? Not seeing it anywhere near as much as I was expecting to in this thread. Far as I know this is the standard everyone uses, but I guess not “everyone” everyone.
It’s not a thing in the States at all. There’s zero use of the hazard lights other than to indicate your car is having problems and you need to pull over, or you’re parking (poorly, usually) and will be right back.
Lived in the states my entire life. Never heard of that.
Yeah, that’s what I figured. When stuff isn’t as common as you expect on the internet, it probably doesn’t happen in the states.
I’ve seen turning your headlights/running lights off and on in the US for a “sorry/thanks”. I haven’t seen hazards used for that ever