Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Flashing your lights = civil disobedience

Is it wrong to warn other drivers about a speed trap by flashing your lights? Apparently in the UK, it's illegal....

From Dailymail -- Michael Thompson, 64, was driving out of Grimsby on the A46 and thought it was his 'civic duty' to warn other drivers coming in the opposite direction of the speed trap. However magistrates took a dim view. He was charged and brought to court for wilfully obstructing a policeman in the course of his duty.

Not only is flashing your lights not wrong, it's your civic duty to your fellow taxpayer to help them out. I do this all the time because I appreciate when other drivers do it for me. This isn't wrong any more than putting a quarter in the meter by a stranger's car right before the meter-maid writes him a ticket, is wrong. Is that obstruction of justice? When the cops start busting otherwise law-abiding citizens for keeping other citizens from running afoul of the law, then it's not about obstructing justice, it's about the cops missing out on the fat income from the ticket.

4 comments:

  1. Flashing your lights causes other drivers to slow down. isn't that the point? You are performing a civic duty by reminding others to slow down.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's what I've always thought. It must be about the loss of revenue due to the unwritten ticket.

    ReplyDelete
  3. 10 pts Ed!
    Follow the money.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Did you notice the Police officer in the photo drink foo coffee? By the looks of his face, he is overweight and fits (no pun intended) the Police officer stereotype. I bet there are some donuts off-camera possibly hidden in his gullet.

    ReplyDelete