Hazard Lights on Moving Vehicles

[SYZ]

I note that reading a review of the Chinese made Haval H9 (which sounds more like a Lebanese desert) that "there are also curiosities, such as the hazard light flashers that kick in under heavy braking. It's a common safety addition to modern cars".

Is it in fact an addition to modern cars? I've never heard of this function for hazard lights.

The Victorian road regulations—ROAD SAFETY ROAD RULES 2009 - REG 221(a) says, "The driver of a vehicle fitted with hazard warning lights must not use the hazard warning lights, or allow them to be used, unless the vehicle is stopped and is obstructing, or is likely to obstruct, the path of other vehicles or pedestrians".

What's the real story? Hazard lights okay when moving or not?

[Smoke Pursuit]

Pretty sure many cars do this. I know my Mb Mondeo did it and my VF Calais does too.

[NorfyXR6]

Not sure about the law but I was taught by my instructor..."use your hazard lights whenever you are a hazard"

[BFGasUte]

Hi,

Victoria has some strange rules, there used to be signs around Wagga going back some years saying to use them in Fog.

[TheInterceptor]

I beleive it comes from europe. I remember as a kid when we visited europe and rented a car, traffic flow would be flying along (especially on autobahn Germany) then all of a sudden you'd hit traffic. Most cars hit hazards to alert those behind to get on the brakes as the traffic is stopped or near stop ahead.

I use hazards in braking situations similar, but now i use an EA as a daily i try keep back from cars ahead so doesnt it happen as much anymore. I do use it in emergency braking in convoy on dirt as its quicker than going for the UHF.

[Cav]

Use hazard lights in fog is OK in NSW

[Matty4]

Originally Posted by BFGasUte

Hi,

Victoria has some strange rules, there used to be signs around Wagga going back some years saying to use them in Fog.

Wagga's not in Victoria.......

[FoxtrotGolfXray 5.0]

Originally Posted by NorfyXR6

Not sure about the law but I was taught by my instructor..."use your hazard lights whenever you are a hazard"

If people followed that teaching, most cars on our roads these days would have their hazards lights on permanently

Originally Posted by TheInterceptor

Most cars hit hazards to alert those behind to get on the brakes as the traffic is stopped or near stop ahead.

Isn't that what brake lights are for? You brake, they come on, you release the brakes and off they go. If you're driving an auto or a manual on an incline then you most likely will use your brakes whilst stationary too.

[Ross 1]

Newer Mercedes will strobe the brake lights in heavy braking and if it happens at over a set speed, 70-80k ?, the hazard lights also start.

[Magna]

apparently so does the FGII

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11418477

[BFGasUte]

Originally Posted by Matty4

Wagga's not in Victoria.......

Hello,

Thanks for the Geography lesson. I was making reference to " Hook " turns and the fact that I had seen signs in NSW near Wagga before.

[Charliewool]

Years ago traveling down to Barry's Beach (Gippsland way) I pulled over to check the Melways map and put hazards on. After establishing that I was on the right track, I took off again, unknowingly leaving hazards going.
4 or 5ks down the road I was pulled over by HWP and booked for "driving with hazards operating" So it IS illegal (In Vic, anyhow)

[Charliewool]

Originally Posted by BFGasUte

Hello,

Thanks for the Geography lesson. I was making reference to " Hook " turns and the fact that I had seen signs in NSW near Wagga before.

There's no "hook" turns in Wagga?... Even when it's foggy!

[whitelion65]

Originally Posted by psychobimbo

If people followed that teaching, most cars on our roads these days would have their hazards lights on permanently




Isn't that what brake lights are for? You brake, they come on, you release the brakes and off they go. If you're driving an auto or a manual on an incline then you most likely will use your brakes whilst stationary too.

The difference is in the severity of the braking. The hazard lights only come on when you do a VERY heavy braking application. This helps differentiate someone using the brakes to wash off some speed, and someone who is about to run into something.

[mike_nofx]

They probably activate with the abs.

[Tokyo Geoff]

Everyone does it in Japan and I found it quite useful. I think people have become a little complacent and so many cars have excellent brakes now that rear enders seem more common. I've been moving quite quickly on the M2, strange as that may seem, and had to come to a quick stop for no apparent reason (standing wave feature I suppose) and I've put the hazards on briefly to alert the peeps behind. I like it.
Geoff

[FPV+fteT3]

The Lotus has a setting that flashes the centre brake light 5 times before going solid when braking its a good feature it can be turned off so centre brake light operates as normal. The flashing centre light gets the following cars attention its a good idea IMO.

[baboon]

Useless here speeds are too slow on hwys

[ford71V8]

Originally Posted by NorfyXR6

Not sure about the law but I was taught by my instructor..."use your hazard lights whenever you are a hazard"

There's quite a few out there that would have them on permanently

[glimmerman]

My work van is a VW caddy and under hard braking it turned the hazards on automatically

Sent from my Blade S6 using Tapatalk

[Brazen]

I hit the hazards if I see something potentially dangerous on the road to warn the cars behind me, usually a roo or a goat

[.:4:.]

In euro cars like the current ford transit, if you hit the anchors hard enough, the thing will take it as an emergency stop and turn the hazards on automatically . Driving in fog you need to turn them on yourself, which is not a bad practice if you don't have rear fog lights.

[SumoDog68]

Originally Posted by SYZ

I note that reading a review of the Chinese made Haval H9 (which sounds more like a Lebanese desert) that "there are also curiosities, such as the hazard light flashers that kick in under heavy braking. It's a common safety addition to modern cars".

Is it in fact an addition to modern cars? I've never heard of this function for hazard lights.

The Victorian road regulations—ROAD SAFETY ROAD RULES 2009 - REG 221(a) says, "The driver of a vehicle fitted with hazard warning lights must not use the hazard warning lights, or allow them to be used, unless the vehicle is stopped and is obstructing, or is likely to obstruct, the path of other vehicles or pedestrians".

What's the real story? Hazard lights okay when moving or not?

Another possibility is that Haval has got some loose wiring in the indicator circuit ;-)

[Ben73]

I sort of understand it in fog, but I was a few cars behind an idiot who put their hazards on in rain recently. It was more on the heavy side, but no where near enough to put on anything more than your head lights. When it stopped raining they turned their hazards off and headlights off! It was late in the afternoon where it had started to get dark, just goes to show how stupid some people are. Why turn off your lights in majorly overcast weather when it will be night in less than an hour.

Driving on country roads I have seen many people flash their lights then turn on their hazard lights. That's a great indication to let you know to slow down and look out for something ahead. It would be quite pathetic if someone was booked for doing that since they were 'driving with hazard lights on"

As for hazards under hard braking, I think that's a great idea. I have seen a few cars ahead of me do it before. It definitely makes your more aware of the vehicle braking in front.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by Ben73

I sort of understand it in fog, but I was a few cars behind an idiot who put their hazards on in rain recently. It was more on the heavy side, but no where near enough to put on anything more than your head lights. When it stopped raining they turned their hazards off and headlights off! It was late in the afternoon where it had started to get dark, just goes to show how stupid some people are. Why turn off your lights in majorly overcast weather when it will be night in less than an hour.

Driving on country roads I have seen many people flash their lights then turn on their hazard lights. That's a great indication to let you know to slow down and look out for something ahead. It would be quite pathetic if someone was booked for doing that since they were 'driving with hazard lights on"

As for hazards under hard braking, I think that's a great idea. I have seen a few cars ahead of me do it before. It definitely makes your more aware of the vehicle braking in front.

Hazards automatically turning on with an emergency stop, which is a safety device in some cars is one thing, but people trying to reach the hazard button whilst trying to stop and remove one hand from the wheel and look for the button not at the road sounds a little reckless to me. I had a person in a current bmw almost side swipe me a few days ago on the harbour bridge because they were swaying between lanes, when it came within a foot of my mirror the interior lit up orange and let out a loud alarm. Wake up fool. Why do people now days have to rely on cars to tell them how to drive? Its beyond me....

[MITCHAY]

I'm pretty sure you can use hazard lights in certain conditions where it would be hard to see you otherwise.

It can get pretty bad in Canberra where a road is 100/kmh and you will be very nervous doing 50/kmh. High beams, fog lights, and hazards and you'd be lucky to see 10m or less ahead.

[Mr Brooksy]

Lol, good old Chinese cars. Hazards are far more commonly used than the indicator here. I have seen Chinese drivers putting them on in tunnels, rain, sun, evening, night at stand still, 10kmh or 120kmh regardless of traffic conditions.

The Havel will more likely detect the use of mobile phones than anything around about it. That seems to be the time that drivers use hazards when they are parked across multiple lane roads trying to get their phone GPS to tell them where they should go.

[TheInterceptor]

Originally Posted by psychobimbo

Isn't that what brake lights are for? You brake, they come on, you release the brakes and off they go. If you're driving an auto or a manual on an incline then you most likely will use your brakes whilst stationary too.

Yes. Thats what theyre there for. The point that was totally missed was the hazards are used as an extra alert for severe braking. Like coming to a halt from cruise speed very quickly.

[SumoDog68]

Originally Posted by TheInterceptor

Yes. Thats what theyre there for. The point that was totally missed was the hazards are used as an extra alert for severe braking. Like coming to a halt from cruise speed very quickly.

Volvo activates flashing brake lights if ABS activated or braking heavily at speeds above 50km/h. Hazard lights come on if the car has slowed down to less than 10km/h . Hazard lights turn off if car then accelerates to above 20km/h or you can switch them off manually.
This is probably better application of modern control systems as mixing hazard lights with braking lights might be confusing for some.

[DJR David]

On the highway between Sydney and Wollongong there are many 'hazard lights on in fog' signs posted