When learning to Drive in my home state of Arizona I remember only flashing my headlights to worn others if there was an officer coming up or if they had their high beams on and was blinding me. It was what I thought of as a kind gesture to hopefully avoid other drivers from getting a speeding ticket or an accident from blinding others. If they saw my lights flash they knew to slow down or turn their bright off. Through my driving life I have also used it a couple of times to warn upcoming drivers of an upcoming accident or hazard on the road.

Now as a driver with our technology I rely on the waze app to warn me about upcoming police who may be checking speeders to a pulled over car, to upcoming construction, to hazards. Waze will even inform you if there is a large pot hole coming up. These are all done through other waze users who like I used to do with flashing headlights they do with a map app.

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This led me to wonder though if individuals especially here in Idaho still use the good 'ol flashing the headlights as warning and most of all if it is still legal and under what conditions in the gem state. I looked and looked at the laws that I could find on the Idaho Government website but it didn't have a clear answer so I called the Boise Police Department and Officer Cooper was kind enough to talk me through it a bit more.

He specified the stated law that you may not have your brights on when you are following another car closer than 200 feet, you may also not have your brights on when oncoming traffic is as close as 500 feet. After digging more with Officer Cooper there was no definitive no you cant or yes you can when it came to flashing brights to warn motorists about upcoming cops, accidents, hazards or just to let them know that their brights are on and blinding you. Officer Cooper has been doing this for a decade and said it is not a ticket that he has ever given out. The best advice is if you decide to flash your brights at someone do it responsibly, respectfully and safely.

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