$1,000 Fine for Flashing Headlights to Warn Motorists of Cops - Lawsuit Follows

Did you know that you could be fined for flashing your headlights to warn other people of speed traps? Police who are hiding in wait, do not appreciate headlight whistleblowers.

This leads to the question - Is flashing your lights a part of free speech?

The question is meaningful to Michael Elli of Missouri who did what most of us have done on the road - flashed his headlights to warn oncoming drivers of a cop waiting around the corner to catch motorists in a speed trap. In Ellisville, MO, he had no idea he was doing something "illegal."

He was surprised to receive a ticket for obstruction of justice - with it, a $1,000 fine. He fought it, calling his warning flash protected free speech. Although prosecutors dropped charges, Elli along with the ACLU filed a class action lawsuit against Ellisville for even handing out those types of tickets to begin with.

Legal director of the town's ACLU chapter, Tony Rothert, aptly pointed out:

Those who use their First Amendment rights to warn others to drive cautiously should not be punished for their message. After all, the purpose of traffic laws is to promote safety, not generate revenue.

Florida, Ohio, Tennessee, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Utah have actually ruled that flashing lights is okay under the First Amendment. Arizona and Alaska strictly forbid the practice under any circumstance apparently because of safety. Who knew?

Continue reading at: http://autos.aol.com/article/is-flashing-your-headlights-free-speech/

Favorite

3 members favorited this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Central Scrutinizer on July 22, 2013 at 9:50am

this has been going on since the 50's, and I'm not going to stop doing it. Been a great private system that works

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by mystery on July 22, 2013 at 7:18pm

I got pulled over for doing just this two years ago by a state trooper, he told me out of his own mouth that flashing your lights is not illegal in my state....but everything else is,lol.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by joe banana on July 22, 2013 at 9:15pm

And I always thought "speed traps" were illegal, silly me.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by mystery on July 22, 2013 at 11:59pm

Not so much a speed trap as a the fact that he pulled me over for flashing my lights. I drove by a state policeman that was hid back in the brush and flashed my lights at the on coming traffic, in the incoming traffic was a state police officer. He pulled me over and I went to jail. Long story.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by 14300 on July 23, 2013 at 6:38am

Thanks for the "heads up". When I lived in Pennsylvania this was common practice to warn the other motorists. At that time (early 90's) there was a "fine" if you were caught flashing your headlights to other drivers to warn them of the speedtrap.