4 ways should always be used when:
- going up a hill on a highway at less than 40 mph.
- when rapidly slowing down such as in a construction zone, or in heavy traffic, to prevent being rear ended.
- backing up.
- other situations I cannot think of right now.
The point of this post is that I have heard of bus and trucking companies now, that say if parked off to the side of a highway, do not have the 4 ways on, or any lights at all, especially at night. The reason being is that other drivers are naturally attracted by lights, and would come and hit you. Particularly true in fog, or snow storm, or sand storm.
What do you guys do ?
Any thoughts or comments ?
JC
If they are parked beyond the edge of the breakdown lane then they are out of play and lights off is sensible. However on the breakdown lane means they are still in play and sitting there in the fog without warning triangles, flares or other hazard indication is likely illegal, but certainly stupid.
Pretty hard for a large vehicle to get well clear of the right lane because breakdown lanes are too narrow and in adverse conditions drivers tend to hug the right of their lane where they can see the solid line so ... Even worse on secondary roads.
Some situations like on the shoulder in fog would be a hard decision whether to have the 4 ways and running lights on or not. If unable to move, would probably be best to get out of the vehicle. We have a cousin who got rear ended while on the shoulder with a flat tire waiting for road service. She is in a wheel chair for the rest of her life. It was winter and she was sitting in her car. But obviously now, should have gotten out of it.
JC
What is very common out west on I-80 is steel posts with reflectors all along the edge of the pavement. No idea why they do it. It makes it nearly impossible to get off the shoulder in a stalled bus. There are certainly places were you would not want to drive onto the grass, but plenty of other places where the grass is nice and flat.
I keep warning triangles and a reflective vest in my bus. If I have to stop the bus on the shoulder I put on the reflective vest before stepping out of the bus. Unless there is a fire or other immediate emergency the warning triangles go out first thing.
Good to bring this up for people to think about. I do have a set of road triangles but do not remember exactly where they are. I could find them quickly by looking in the bays, but that would not be good if I was trying to open the roadside bay door. I should definitely move them to an easy, safe access place.
As far as the 4-way flashers go, if I were not clear of the road by at least 3-4 feet, I would use the flashers. One issue could be liability--I can see that you might have to defend your lack of using emergency flashers in court more than needing to defend using them.
Flashers are for slow moving vehicles, not for parking.
How many vehicles have you seen parked on the shoulder with the flashers blinking the very end of the battery's life?
During fog or even darkness never-ever leave any lights on when parked. Someone will invariably rear end you thinking you are moving.
We were taught 45 years ago to use the four ways when speed dropped below 35 mph if normal traffic was much faster. Also when backing down which we were to avoid at all costs. Also whenever it was felt necessary to announce our presents during low visibility conditions from whatever.
Everyone traveling in a heavy vehicle needs to carry at least one set of roadside flares. In case someone doesn't know what they look like I've tried to attach an image. They are readily available wherever the truck drivers shop. In Canada that would be places like NAPA, Traction, Fort Garry.
Speaking of the roadside warning triangles, it drives me crazy that so-called "professional drivers" have NO CLUE how to properly (per DOT) place them behind a disabled vehicle. I see them put out in all kinds of fashion, very, very rarely are they positioned correctly.
It even tells you on the lid of the friggin' box they come packaged in how to place them!!
So that you don't have to run out and look yourself, here's "RJ's down 'n dirty quick guide for proper warning triangle placement." It's not accurate to the foot, but darned close and it complies with the DOT regs. Here you go:
1st triangle: Place it 5 - 6 paces back from the rear of the vehicle parallel to the driver's side. (~ 10')
2nd triangle: Place it 30 - 35 paces back from the rear of the vehicle parallel to the centerline of the vehicle. (~ 100")
3rd triangle: Place it 60 - 65 paces back from the rear of the vehicle parallel to the curbside. (~ 200')
The above is for a disabled vehicle on a roadway with multiple lanes of traffic flowing in the same direction. For two-lane roads, it's slightly different:
Triangles 1 & 2 are placed the same as above.
Triangle #3 is placed 5 - 6 paces in front of the vehicle parallel to the driver's side.
That's all there is to it - simple, eh?
No excuses for not doing it correctly from now on, ok? ;D ;D ;D
FWIW & HTH. . .
;)
Good one R J.
I heard somewhere that the use of 4 way flashers is illegal in California. True?
JC
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Use of hazards or 4 ways while driving is illegal in Florida. They are to only be used while stopped. Primary reason is that they will disable many vehicles brake light and turn signals. Also it will differentiate vehicles that are stopped as opposed to moving vehicles in low visibility situations. Reference: https://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/hazard-light-use/ for each states rules.
Thanks for posting this link. In 40 years of driving, I didn't know about the different laws by state and province about the use of hazard lights. I booked marked it to my bus folder.
JC
No law in California that states you need to use flashers under 40mph.
I was taught that it was illegal to drive with the hazard lights on unless there was a sign requiring it for slow moving vehicles. Hazard lights were for parked vehicles only, if on the shoulder of the road and not easily visible, or vehicles in a funeral procession under control of a peace officer. What I've been able to find on-line pretty much backs that up, although the info is on "info" websites, not government web sites. I found it quite hard to find the actual traffic regulations.
Brian
Quote from: TomC on September 20, 2015, 11:05:20 PM
No law in California that states you need to use flashers under 40mph.
i think AAA is confusing 14 wide mobile homes with travel trailers in their list... probably compiled by a third world web site producer :)
A guy traveling in Kentucky stopped on the side of the road to check his maps.He couldn't help but notice an old country bumpkin broke down on the opposite side of the road.As he watched the old boy comes out of a field with an arm full of wild flowers.He proceeded to place half of the flowers in back of his car and the other half in front of the car.The guy that was checking his maps couldn't stand it any longer ,so he went across the road and asked the old boy what the deal was with the flowers.Well,the old boy replies.when I took my drivers test it said if you broke down move your car to the side of the road and put flairs in front and fliers in back!
Well, I guess I now know that if I drive on a road in Florida with my 4-ways on I can get a ticket. If I drive on a road in Nova Scotia (more relevant than Florida by 2000 miles) with my 4 ways on I can get a ticket unless there is a sign telling me to put them on if I am a "slow vehicle". If I stop on the side of the road and don't put my 4-ways on I can get a ticket. And a lot of the people on here don't know what to do with their 4-ways... :)
Brian
I notice most semis turn on their hazards at 40 MPH or slower so I have been doing that too in my bus. I never knew it was illegal in some states.
I almost got run over last week by a truck running four ways for no good reason on a 30 MPH city street. I thought the truck was turning right based on seeing the turn signal so I stepped out into the crosswalk to cross the street. It turned out the truck was running the four ways instead of turning right and luckily the truck was able to stop in time.
Belfert, In California if you are talking about the steel poles with reflector on top that are tall in the snow country part it is for the plow drivers to know where the edge of the road is when the snow is high.
Also Head lights must be on if it is Raining here.
If you are having mechanical problems or flat tire etc you are encouraged to put on your 4 ways but it is not a law to do so.
A common practise around these parts for semi drivers is to put their 4 ways on when pulling out onto a highway until they build up some speed. I would think this is company (or adopted) practise rather than "law". So common is this practise that I think everyone knows and acknowledges it as "a good idea".
Flares (the triangle reflectors - flares, the burning kind, are referred to as "fusees") should be mandatory equipment in all vehicles not just the "heavies". There is zero misunderstanding that the vehicle ahead is disabled!
Yes indeed. I drove a truck for Swift Transportation for a few weeks recently, and their policy on 4 ways is use them anytime you are driving slower than surrounding traffic, such as being a hazard. Going up a hill on a highway at less than 40 mph, backing up, being stopped on the side of the road. In other words, anytime you need to alert other motorists that you don't want them to hit you.
That is the way I was trained by Brewster's 40 years ago. The practice has pretty well stayed the same to this day. Truckers and bus drivers are going to continue using their 4 ways in this way for safety, out of common sense.
It seems that some states laws are going against the flow.
Those laws are for the most part fairly obscure, confusing to most, and certainly not very well enforced.
JC
+1 JC
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