Flashing Your Lights in Louisiana: Innocent Gesture or Serious Offense?
Alright, picture this: it might be daytime or evening. As you drive along, you notice someone approaching you and they begin to blink their high beams. They're attempting to alert you to a potential danger, but what could it be?
If you're on Hwy 27 in Louisiana heading South they're probably warning you of either a Alligator on the road or some of those wild hogs just hanging out on the side of the road watching you go by.
When someone flashes their high lights at you, something else also happens. They're alerting you to the fact that the State Police is waiting for you to be stopped with their radar gun.
But here is the question.
Is it permissible to flash your lights to alert passing cars to an impending speed trap? Is it possible to interpret this as obstructing the course of justice?
It turns out that this is prohibited in a few states and counties in the United States, something I was unaware of. Here is the ruling in LA according to Louisiana statute 32.327c :
But:
A federal court in St. Louis ruled that drivers are allowed to flash their lights to warn other motorists of nearby police and speed traps. The court ruled that it’s a first amendment right.
I understand that you have the "First Amendment Right" to flash your lights to alert people to impending speed traps. It makes me wonder whether there are any other kind of signals that I could use to extend my freedom of expression to, say, when I'm driving. Tell someone to stop driving immediately because they are a moron.
I have to find a Mini Mart emergency stop and then get to the restroom, so maybe there's a particular signal to warn people to be on the lookout.
Drive safely, be careful and if you have to flash your lights. You better mean it.
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