Putting on hazards for breaking on the freeway

[Jalapeñomel]

When people come to a slow down/stop on the freeway here, they put on their hazards. I’ve never seen this before...is this an East Coast thing? NY thing? Or do people where you are do this?

[killercupcake]

They do this while driving? Not in the shoulder?

Very odd. I’ve never seen this with a regular passenger car. The school busses here will put their hazards on if they’re traveling less than 50 mph on the freeway, but that’s the only time I’ve ever seen that.

[dancingnancy]

When I lived in the Philly burbs this was a common occurrence on the highways. I think the first time I saw it was in Delaware and typically happened during bad weather/low visibility.

[steph96]

I’ve seen it a few times. Mainly just semis but sometimes normal cars. What really bothers me about this practice is that sometimes when the hazards are on, you can’t see the brake lights.

[tacokick]

I’ve never seen that here (MD) or anywhere. How odd.

[cmeon]

It's illegal to drive with emergency blinkers here (FL)- unless you're in a funeral procession. Of course, our population is made up of SO many people who learned to drive in other states that there are always idiots who put them on in the rain, when they're towing all their shit in a weighed down trailer on a busy highway and can't go the minimum speeds, there's always something new. Just have to drive like I'm the only one who knows how.

[wesleycrusher]

Some east coast states have posted signs of minimum speed of 40 MPH on highways, so I've always thought if you drive below that you speed are supposed to use the hazard lights.

If you are driving slowly or are stopped, it's to alert people behind you.

[fivechickens]

I have seen it here in Michigan. Not often though.

[mcmel]

I’ve only seen 18 wheelers do it. I’m in Arkansas.

[chloesilverado]

May 13, 2018 15:30:31 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

When people come to a slow down/stop on the freeway here, they put on their hazards. I’ve never seen this before...is this an East Coast thing? NY thing? Or do people where you are do this?

I used to live in NY and when on the highway we had to put on hazards when going under 40 mph (speedlimit 55+).

[huskymom]

I’m in CT and I see people do it when they approach a traffic jam and need to slow down suddenly.

[meganew]

I thought it was common for people to do that to alert people behind them they would have to stop suddenly- like coming up quickly on a traffic jam, I throw on my lights so the person behind me is more likely to notice that I’ve gone from 70 to a dead stop.

[joy]

I’ved lived in Philly, Boston and upstate NY - never seen this ever.

[TrickyBob]

In PA if you drive under a certain limit you put them on, mainly on highways. There are signs posted all over to turn them on if going slow.

I have lived back country all my life and see this a lot. Farm trucks, slow moving vehicles, trucks...they all do it here. Especially if behind Amish and are unable to pass.

Edit: just to stop on a highway, no. Not unless there is an accident ahead and everyone is moving slow for miles/stopping and starting

[gastro]

I’ve seen this frequently driving in some Asian countries (for many many years). Here in CA I see it occasionally when traffic is coming to a stop quickly.

[blondemoment123]

I’ve never seen that here (SC).

[yaga]

May 13, 2018 16:09:57 GMT -5 TrickyBob said:

In PA if you drive under a certain limit you put them on, mainly on highways. There are signs posted all over to turn them off if going slow.

I have lived back country all my life and see this a lot. Farm trucks, slow moving vehicles, trucks...they all do it here. Especially if behind Amish and are unable to pass.

Edit: just to stop on a highway, no. Not unless there is an accident ahead and everyone is moving slow for miles/stopping and starting

Huh. I grew up in PA (Bucks County) and I'm not familiar with this at all.

I've also not seen this in the two other places I've lived - Delaware or NY.

[cinnamoncox0]

I’m in Boston/ Ma and never see anyone put on hazards unless breaking down on the highway and getting over tot the breakdown lane, or if they’re just parked for a second to run in somewhere to indicate they’ll be right out.

[wesleycrusher]

May 13, 2018 16:13:57 GMT -5 yaga said:

May 13, 2018 16:09:57 GMT -5 TrickyBob said:

In PA if you drive under a certain limit you put them on, mainly on highways. There are signs posted all over to turn them off if going slow.

I have lived back country all my life and see this a lot. Farm trucks, slow moving vehicles, trucks...they all do it here. Especially if behind Amish and are unable to pass.

Edit: just to stop on a highway, no. Not unless there is an accident ahead and everyone is moving slow for miles/stopping and starting

Huh. I grew up in PA (Bucks County) and I'm not familiar with this at all.

I've also not seen this in the two other places I've lived - Delaware or NY.

I also grew up in Bucks County and knew about this.- under 40 MPH on a highway

[melmel48]

I live north of Boston. I put on my hazards if I am stopped in the breakdown lane on the highway, or if I need to travel at a slow speed on the highway. I see people do this all the time here.

[Birdie]

I’ve put my blinkers in during hazardous weather. i.e. sudden patches of ice and snow that requires traffic to come to a halt or during torrential downpours where I can barely see ahead of me (happened about a week ago). I usually do it to alert the car behind me on the interstate that I’m not going interstate speed since the weather might prevent them from gauging my speed visually.

I’d say this happens to me maybe 1-2 times a year and I turn them off when I’m able to pick up speed. I don’t do it for any ol traffic jam.

[cinnamoncox0]

May 13, 2018 16:23:04 GMT -5 melmel48 said:

I live north of Boston. I put on my hazards if I am stopped in the breakdown lane on the highway, or if I need to travel at a slow speed on the highway. I see people do this all the time here.

I’m north of Boston too and only see if breakdown lane. Not often though and I have wicked long commute on the highway.

[revolution]

May 13, 2018 16:09:57 GMT -5 TrickyBob said:

In PA if you drive under a certain limit you put them on, mainly on highways. There are signs posted all over to turn them off if going slow.

I have lived back country all my life and see this a lot. Farm trucks, slow moving vehicles, trucks...they all do it here. Especially if behind Amish and are unable to pass.

Edit: just to stop on a highway, no. Not unless there is an accident ahead and everyone is moving slow for miles/stopping and starting

South Central PA and this is what I was taught growing up.

[melmel48]

May 13, 2018 16:53:58 GMT -5 cinnamoncox0 said:

May 13, 2018 16:23:04 GMT -5 melmel48 said:

I live north of Boston. I put on my hazards if I am stopped in the breakdown lane on the highway, or if I need to travel at a slow speed on the highway. I see people do this all the time here.

I’m north of Boston too and only see if breakdown lane. Not often though and I have wicked long commute on the highway.

I see it mostly when they have large loads or big items hanging out of their cars/truck beds. 

[macmars45]

I thought only semis used them when going slowly on the freeway and when your car is disabled and you're trying to get to a safe place to pull off of the road/freeway.
I'm in WA state.

[lolalolalola]

huh. never heard of this. makes sense though. 

[cmeon]

Putting on emergency lights in bad weather or because you're doing 25 in a 70*- makes people think you're stalled/stopped. It might keep you safe (maybe), but, it makes things much more dangerous for everyone driving behind you, who are now trying to get the fuck out of the lane where there's a "stalled" vehicle. Really fun when they're blinking in the middle/left lane, or they're contagious and a whole pack of cars is doing it!

FWIW, driving with your emergency lights on in NY *is* legal. Which is surely part of the confusion people have.

[RoxMonster]

I'm in IL and have only seen semis do this.

[winemaker06]

In MD people do it for all sorts of the listed reasons like driving slowly, having stuff hanging out of their trunk secured by a bungee cord, etc.

It IS common on the highways to turn them on for a minute when coming up to unexpected stopped traffic. Going from 70 mph to 0 happens all too often between MD and DC.

I also put them on briefly for geese or deer crossing. To give others the heads up to look around for something unusual.

[rachelgreen]

Grew up in Chicago/land, spent the last ten years in WI, and I’ve seen this done frequently by semi trucks or cars when approaching sudden traffic jams or inclement weather. Around the area we spent 8 years living, there was one giant bridge over a big lake and the weather conditions could make it treacherous in an instant. Brake lights being thrown on were much less noticeable than hazards when something happened quickly. In all cases, once it clears up or once you know the people immediately behind you have slowed because they’ve seen you’re slowed, evevryone turns them off.