Yo, Florida. Please Stop Driving in the Rain with your Flashers On!
This is a subject that touches me near and dear to my heart. It is by far, my biggest driving pet peeve. And since today, like most June South Florida days, it’s pouring, I’ve decided to drop some serious knowledge on a habit that a majority of Florida drivers still, to this day, continue to exercise and think they are making the roads a better place because of it. That activity is driving in the rain with your emergency flashers on!
In Florida, it is illegal to drive with your hazard lights. Period. Myth: Busted. Hazards lights are for stopped vehicles only, officials say. The one situation where Florida drivers are allowed to use their hazards when in motion is when the vehicle is being used in a funeral procession.
Let me play devil’s advocate for a paragraph. Hey…I get it. You’re scared of driving in the rain. There’s low visibility and the roads can be extremely slick. You don’t want to risk an accident. You want to play it “safe”. But listen to this: According to drivers, flashers make it difficult to see when a motorist is tapping the brakes or using a turn signal. So you’re brazen cavalierness to make the road a better place actually makes it worse. Way to go.
Moving on, a Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson told NewsChannel 5 that flashers are for emergency situations. “First responders look for flashers to see if someone needs help,” said an FHP spokesperson. Law enforcement officials say hazard lights can actually reduce visibility making other drivers think you are stopped or stalled.
The FHP spokesperson says if visibility is so bad that you cannot see, pull over in a parking lot, plaza or somewhere safe until conditions improve. Now you don’t have to worry about it! Pretty cool, right?
So there you have it, folks. It’s 100%, Grade A, 10 times out of 10, ILLEGAL. Don’t do this! I’m begging you! Unless, of course, it’s being used in a funeral procession; and I don’t see too many funeral processions going on in the pouring rain, consisting of one driver in a beat up Kia. So please, obey the rules of the road and if you are SO afraid of driving in the rain…don’t! Pull over somewhere safe and wait it out, because using your flashers and driving 30 mph under the speed limit is only endangering yourself, the other drivers around you and it’s driving guys like me CRAZY!
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