Tag Archives: Automobile

How To Use Hazard Lights – Self Help

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Emergency lights (or hazard lights) are for EMERGENCIES.  Emergencies are not defined as:  unable to find a legal parking spot, just running in real quick to get something, or picking up/dropping off people.  Emergency lights do not trump laws just because you have activated them.  Have some grace.

Many automobiles use their front and rear signal lights to create hazard lights in a distinctive lighting pattern which can be used to alert other drivers to a problem. Typically, hazard lights run on the same circuit as regular lights, although they are controlled with a separate switch. Knowing how and when to use hazard lights can be useful in an emergency situation, although you should also be equipped with highway flares.

Hazard lights are actuated with a small switch located near the steering column. Usually it is in a separate area, so that the lights cannot be turned on accidentally by an unwitting hand. In many cars, the switch has a small triangular icon on it, and it is often red or orange, to make it more visible in emergencies. The two most common types of hazard light switches are tabs which need to be pulled, and buttons which are pressed.

When the switch is activated, all of the turn signals on the vehicle will simultaneously illuminate and start flashing in a rhythmic pattern. This pattern is highly visible and very unique, so that drivers will not confuse it with turn signals or approaching headlights. As a general rule, if you see a vehicle with hazard lights on up ahead, you should slow down until you know what the problem it.

Most commonly, hazard lights are used on a disabled car which has been pulled to the side of the road. Especially at night, they increase the visibility of the car so that it will not be hit. It also alerts drivers to the fact that there is a problem of some kind, and some drivers use hazard lights to ask for help, usually in combination with leaving the hood up. Responders to an accident scene may also use their hazard lights to warn drivers about unusual conditions up ahead, and to help clear a lane for the accident.  Hazard lights should not be used as a free pass to park wherever the driver wants, illegal parking is illegal parking, hazard lights or not.

Driving should never be done with the hazard lights alone, as this can be highly dangerous. Hazard lights should also not be used to warn oncoming traffic about approaching hazards. A much better choice is flashing your headlights or lightly tapping your horn. Using hazard lights may distract or confuse the oncoming driver, while flashing your lights is generally interpreted as a sign to slow down and be cautious. Hazard lights can also be used to check whether or not your signals are using when your car is in a parked and safe position, such as your driveway. Turn the key to the “accessory” stage and turn the hazard lights on so that you can walk all the way around your car and make sure that no bulbs need to be replaced.

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Sticks and Stones…

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Sticks and Stones…

It’s been a while since I have been called F*GGOT. Well, probably not that long, but it has been a while since it has been yelled at me from a car. I can honestly say that maybe the last time that happened was in high school. [I'd like to take a moment and give a shout-out to Ronnie Peabody, Craig Fowler, Dan Donavan and one other guy whose name I cannot remember and don't feel like researching] I mean, if you walk down Third Avenue after eight o’clock and do not want to buy drugs, you get called it or if you wear baby blue keds, your friends will call you it. As they should.

Yelling anything from a car is the coward’s way. The yeller is protected inside a metal box that has the ability to quickly leave the situation if needed.

I got called it today because there was a guy with his car blocking the sidewalk I was walking on and I walked in front of his car instead of behind it. It went down like this:

Many people including myself walk in front of his car. He yells, “walk behind me, I am trying to pull out!”
I look at him and keep walking in front because he would not be able to pull out in the amount of time it took for me to cross due to stopped traffic.

He yells again, “Behind me, F*GGOT!”

I won’t deny that my head went ‘there’ for a split second…

I reply, “Don’t block the sidewalk.”

He replies, “Don’t block me!”

I inquire, “Are you going to write me a ticket?”

He answers, “No.”

I suggest, “Then shut up.”

He blurts, “F*GGOT!”

I again suggest, “Shut up.”

The great part is that I heard other people suggesting he shut up as well.

The key to any situation in the city is to NEVER stop walking. People want you to give them change, sign this or that, tell you how they ran out of gas, buy batteries, and any combination of the sort. You NEVER stop walking because once you stop, once you give them that attention, it is all over for you.

So, I kept walking and he went on to yell at other people crossing in front of his car instead of behind, but he was only yelling “Behind!” He was not calling them names.

A comeback that I have had loaded and ready to fire back if/when I get called that or any name is to reply “Does calling me names make you feel better about yourself?” There is really no answer they can give. Seeing as I was walking away and he was stuck in traffic in a burgundy mid-90′s Ford Bronco, I already knew the answer without having to ask the question.