Automatic headlight near miss
Discussion
Roundabout under Motorway 
Car A waiting at roundabout to turn left into DC lane 1
Traffic coming around roundabout often (50/50) takes the DC outside lane 2 keeping lane 1 for above.
It's slightly dark under the bridge so a car B's auto headlights switch on, but since they take a while to switch on, just as car B emerges from under the bridge.
Car B tries to join the DC at lane 1 just as car A at the roundabout pulls out due to the headlights 'flash' (they didn't flash they came on and stayed on).
Car A should obviously have treated car B headlights as 'I am here' rather than 'its ok you can go'
What would you have done?
Car A waiting at roundabout to turn left into DC lane 1
Traffic coming around roundabout often (50/50) takes the DC outside lane 2 keeping lane 1 for above.
It's slightly dark under the bridge so a car B's auto headlights switch on, but since they take a while to switch on, just as car B emerges from under the bridge.
Car B tries to join the DC at lane 1 just as car A at the roundabout pulls out due to the headlights 'flash' (they didn't flash they came on and stayed on).
Car A should obviously have treated car B headlights as 'I am here' rather than 'its ok you can go'
What would you have done?
I've thought about this a few times with the auto lights. Not going to be very common but there is a chance it could cause an accident like this.
It's very easy to mistake any flash of lights for an invitation to pull out, I was sitting at a right turn with traffic lights that has a filter, car coming the other way gives a double flash (as is common at those lights when they change to red) and I pull out giving him a wave. Only realised when he kept going at speed that he was flashing to his mate (ooh eer) and waving to him. Very lucky I realised and floored it out of there or he would have plowed into me. Definitely both drivers making a mistake there but good example how a quick light flash can cause problems...
It's very easy to mistake any flash of lights for an invitation to pull out, I was sitting at a right turn with traffic lights that has a filter, car coming the other way gives a double flash (as is common at those lights when they change to red) and I pull out giving him a wave. Only realised when he kept going at speed that he was flashing to his mate (ooh eer) and waving to him. Very lucky I realised and floored it out of there or he would have plowed into me. Definitely both drivers making a mistake there but good example how a quick light flash can cause problems...
Even when I'm going from sidelights to main beam, I always make sure the lights coming on can't be misinterpreted as a flash by anyone in close proximity ahead (especially these days where a previous flash has left the stalk on a high beam setting annoyingly).
I'm against automatic anything. It annoys me enough that in pouring rain, our Mondeo will switch to intermittent wipe when the car is stopped in traffic.
I'm against automatic anything. It annoys me enough that in pouring rain, our Mondeo will switch to intermittent wipe when the car is stopped in traffic.
If I was in car A I'm not actually sure what I would have done. Often when I think someone who has the right of way is surrendering it to me for no real reason I'll ignore them and wave them through. It's a bit different if someone lets me out of a side street in a traffic jam or whatever but when someone's only trying to save me from having to wait another 10 seconds I tend to wish that they'd stop complicating things and just get on with driving.
So, if this person flashed to let me out (or at least that what I thought they had done) and I could see no particular reason for them to do so, i.e. there wasn't a long stream of traffic behind him to make him think I was going to be stuck there all day without help, I'd sit still and wait for them to pass, unless they were insistent and slowed down and gesticulated and stuff, and then I'd go.
On the other hand, there is a chance I might see what I think was a signal to go, and think "oh ok whatever" and just go...
This all assumes I was quite sure (and mistaken as it would prove) that the car was signalling to let me out, and hopefully go on to learn from the forthcoming incident
So, if this person flashed to let me out (or at least that what I thought they had done) and I could see no particular reason for them to do so, i.e. there wasn't a long stream of traffic behind him to make him think I was going to be stuck there all day without help, I'd sit still and wait for them to pass, unless they were insistent and slowed down and gesticulated and stuff, and then I'd go.
On the other hand, there is a chance I might see what I think was a signal to go, and think "oh ok whatever" and just go...
This all assumes I was quite sure (and mistaken as it would prove) that the car was signalling to let me out, and hopefully go on to learn from the forthcoming incident
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