Thursday, September 1, 2011

Flashing Your Headlights aka Warning Drivers of Speed Traps


This is from autoblog.com and has always bugged me.  How can the police give you a ticket for flashing your headlights to warn traffic there is a speed trap ahead?

"Florida is facing a class-action lawsuit from drivers who have been ticketed for attempting to warn other motorists of hidden speed traps. According to WTSP 10 News, Eric Campbell was recently cited for just that, despite the fact that there is no law against using one's headlights to communicate with other drivers. The officer who ticketed Campbell used Florida State Statute 316.2397, even though the courts ruled that the police were wrongfully applying the law to crack down on vehicle-to-vehicle communication in 2005. Now Campbell wants his $100 ticket refunded and $15,000 in damages.

Since 2005, over 10,429 drivers have been cite for flashing their high beams, and if Campbell wins his case, Florida could be facing over $1 million in ticket refunds. But that's nothing compared to the $156.4 million the state could have to pay out if each driver is awarded $15,000 each.
Hit the jump to take a look at news report on the lawsuit."
 Don't get me wrong, I DON'T think people should be speeding, but unless there is a specific LAW against flashing your headlights, I don't think the cops should be able to give you a ticket...

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