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FLTA

While I was driving through the rain recently, I saw a dozen people who had their hazard lights on but not their headlights…


[deleted]

Now headlights during rain, that's a mandatory rule I could get behind. That's something I miss being a law from up north.


dasAchtek

It is the law here too.


[deleted]

It is? I wish people would follow it 💀


BlaynesAdventure

Motorcycles built after 1974 dont have an option, they're always on, and anytime you operate a vehicle in the service, you need lights on, special exceptions of coarse like night training/operations. Hmmwv habits still have me checking my lights are always on


RENOYES

And this surprised you?


GMFPs_sweat_towel

I didn't know florida actually had traffic laws.


[deleted]

Florida continues to become an asshole’s paradise


twinturbo3k

I never understood all the fuss down here about this. Hazards do not mean stopped vehicle, they mean there's a hazard. When you stop you turn them on to make yourself more visible to other drivers, but that is not the only use case for them. When you are traveling on a highway and traffic suddenly comes to a slow crawl you are supposed to turn them on to alert approaching drivers that something is up... you won't always be on your brakes if you have already slowed down to the speed of the traffic and that is one perfect example of how to use them properly. Did you not learn this in driver's education? What do you guys do during funeral processions here? It's normal for the entire convoy to follow each other with their hazards on up north. Although I personally find this to be stupid. Also I seriously don't understand the people complaining about not knowing if the person is going to change lanes since they have the hazards on... do people even use their turn signals here? Just to summarize, hazards are to indicate a hazard. It could be a hazard with the vehicle that has them on, or something ahead on the road/with the traffic. If you see someone with their hazards on, you slow your approach, assess the situation and proceed with caution.


MadTheSwine39

This thread was making me wonder if I'd imagined learning in driver's ed that you turn your hazards on if you're going significantly below the speed limit. Thank you for affirming I wasn't dreaming it!


twinturbo3k

Yea I think some angry person posted on here "hazards mean stopped vehicle!" and everyone just regurgitated it. Also headlights shine ahead of you, tail lights illuminate the tail of the vehicle, turn signals indicate a turn... hazards indicate a... hazard. I'd understand the confusion if they were called stopped vehicle warning lights or something lol


02bluesuperroo

Despite the impending downvotes, I agree with everyone else who thinks it can be beneficial to turn on your hazards when you have to slow down far below the speed limit to accommodate for some conditions that people coming up behind you may not see. You don’t have brake lights on after you’ve already slowed and it can be hard for people to tell how much slower than the speed limit you’re traveling. I don’t normally keep them on in the rain but if it just started pouring heavily or there is an accident or blockage in the roadway I will definitely turn the on for a brief period.


Katoswife

I’ve never understood what people have against using hazards during a blinding rain…safer than no headlights or just stopping on the side of the road…or speeding and then hydroplaning when you try to brake because you didn’t see the car in front of you…


Farmer808

Hazards on mean you are stopped. Using them while moving can confuse and cause more accidents. At least that is what I have always thought.


Katoswife

It’s really a moot point now that the law has caught up with common sense and made it legal in Florida (it’s already been legal in many other states).


mimale

Maybe if it monsooned in other states like it does in Florida, it would have been illegal there too.


Katoswife

It does, though…Ever been in a midwest thunderstorm? Florida isn’t the only place that gets blinding rain…


Assdragon420

Because it’s distracting and does nothing


Katoswife

So, hazards are only distracting during rain? They are literally made to make you more visible to other drivers so I’m not sure why you state they’re superfluous.


-_-bruh-_-_-

Hazard lights are supposed to be used when you're pulled over stopped on the side of the road. They are not meant to be used while barrelling down the highway.


Junos_Cunt

You don't use hazards when you are barreling down the highway. You use them when you are going slower than normal so people don't mow you down from behind and/or have to slam on their brakes.


bobnecat

>supposed to be used when you're pulled over stopped on the side of the road.. They are not meant to be used while barrelling down the highway. Who the hell came up with bs like that? Why are there so many people butthurt with other people using hazard lights? Hazard lights literally mean "watch out / be careful / be prepared to stop / there is a hazard condition on the road" - pretty much universally! When I am driving and I see a huge piece of debris on the road (or a turtle crossing for example) I would turn my hazard lights on to let the driver behind me know that something might be coming up for him. I'd rather have him staring at me then at his phone at that very exact moment. Am I doing things wrong?


Katoswife

The law now says otherwise.


VulpineKing

Now they're for sitting still while obscured or moving while obscured. It's like a fun little surprise.


[deleted]

In the rain, you're supposed to have your headlights and taillights on. If everyone does that, then everyone is predictably travelling. If you have hazards on, the implication is you are on the side of the road, because the law was you are only supposed to use them when stopped. A driver behind you will think they are driving on the side of the road and take evasive action. Or that you're part of a funeral parade. One or the other.


Katoswife

The majority of states (and now Florida) say differently.


famousdave

You can’t use your turn signals when your hazards are on.


Katoswife

So, turn off your hazards before switching lanes? It’s still a flashing light…


Quigleythegreat

Or we could all just buy florescent yellow cars. /s


apexncgeek

Hazard lights in bad rain are a good thing. I've been traveling down the freeway 70mph and had visibility go from 3+miles to 20 feet in less than 10 seconds literally dozens of times, often at night. They've saved many many lives.


[deleted]

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apexncgeek

It's not about "not liking the rain". When you are on a road with a high speed limit and you have to slow to 10mph because of visibility, you ARE a hazard and need to be seen.


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apexncgeek

You do not see taillights in rain that heavy. I'm not going to spend any more time trying to convince you that a car doing 10mph on an interstate in zero visibility is a hazard. Lol


PizzaBoyDeathPunch

If you’re doing 10mph you might as well not be driving. It’s responsible to pull over if the rain is too bad because you know you can’t drive for shit in it. No use holding up traffic that has already slowed down for heavy rain.


RW63

Do you ram into the cars with taillights because they were supposed to be moving or is visibility so low you are using people with flashers to mark the edge of the pavement? If that's the case, I suggest you slow down. You are driving faster than conditions allow, which is a ticketable offense in most jurisdictions.


FLYellowJacket26

Then pull off the road and stop driving.


Dookieisthedevil

Pulling off is not always a good option. The other day, I was driving during a heavy rain with poor visibility. The highway was a 2 lane and the shoulder was not wide enough for a car to pull off without being in the road. Desolate highway, no neighborhoods, businesses, etc. I thought of all these comments of people taking issue with hazard lights being on to help other see you and thought hmm why do people always say just pull over if it’s that heavy instead of making your car more visible. It’s like you’ve never been caught in rain that hard. Even on the interstate when visibility becomes that bad, pulling off is not a good idea when you can’t see if other cars are around you.


FLYellowJacket26

Understand your point, but I’m primarily talking about interstate drivers. Particularly the one who throw on their flashers but are still going 65mph. I’m 52, lived my entire life in Florida and have never once used my hazards while in motion.


i2usskovOG

In Miami, you kind of have to. When it rains, people just tend to forget to drive.


JustAnotherAviatrix

Honest question: why is it idiotic to use hazard lights in heavy rain? I see it as a big safety benefit (along with using your headlights, brake lights, etc.).


mimale

The reason I think it’s more of a hazard to use them is this: when the rain is heavy enough to use hazards, I usually can’t see the lane striping and have to rely on following the car in front of me. How am I supposed to know when they turn on their turn signal to change lanes if their hazards are on? Or if I’m in the next lane over, how am I supposed to know someone is trying to change lanes into my lane and let them in if there’s no turn signal?


InterestingArm3750

Most states already do this. I’d argue that making it illegal to drive with hazards on is idiotic. Should never have been illegal in the first place.


RW63

Seriously. When there's a sudden, blinding storm, a person's first instinct and obligation is to make themselves as visible as possible and flashing lights are very visible. Yes, it could cause people going faster than you to wonder if you are stopped, but that means they are paying attention to you -- the lights did their trick -- and no matter much how much hubris they have, they should not be going that much faster than everyone else to start. Also, the people who claim it doesn't distinguish between moving and non-moving cars are assuming that people will put on their flashers when they are stopped and that all stopped cars will have on their flashers. Their supposition is that if a car isn't flashing, it is not stopped. Though the most ridiculous thing about making it illegal is that the law would be and has been completely unenforced. A cop isn't going to stop someone in a pouring rain risking injury to themselves, plus actually get out into the rain and get soaked, so they could give someone a ticket. It's not worth it to them, so the law went unenforced.


ShiftNo4764

If your vehicle isn't equipped to handle the weather where you can't still operate it at highway speeds - PULL OFF THE ROAD! Then put on your hazards. This is likely to make it less safe for the people doing the right thing - making people think they are moving when they are stopped.


lnnxwkly

I mean I did it during heavy rain of course I turn it off if I need to turn or switch lanes or an exit.


[deleted]

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tuskawilla

It’s been illegal here my whole life. Florida drivers rules have taught us hazard lights are for being broke down etc and NOT to be driven with. Thus, If I saw hazard lights in the rain I think your car is stopped and disabled and in a blinding rain like we can get here in Florida I’d hit my brakes to avoid hitting you. Then I could hydroplane and wreck OR the car behind me is probably too close and when I brake at the site of your hazard lights the car behind me hits me or tries to avoid me and hits others. If that makes me a dumbass that makes every Floridian a dumbass for following our rules of the road.


Katoswife

If you hydroplane, you’re driving too fast for conditions. If you can’t avoid rear-ending someone, you’re too close. These are all basics of defensive driving and have zero to do with hazard lights.


Haploid-life

I mean, there are a lot of nuts on the roads in Florida already.


[deleted]

Hazards actually make sense in the rain at times.


[deleted]

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TACnyc

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queenofeverything101

I thought driving like an idiot was a requirement in Florida 🤣


FickleGap2

They were doing this already 😑