Story & photos by Ronald Rey M. de los Reyes
GOOD-BYE sunshine. Here comes the rain again. And with it comes thunderstorms, strong winds, floods, fear, panic and even no classes.
Worse yet, a heavy downpour catches you right in the middle of the road while you and your kids are on the way to a children’s party. Rain water continuously pounds on your windshield like Thor’s hammer on a piece of rock. Visibility creeps down to zero. You cringe, take your feet off the gas pedal and slow down. Now, you start to worry about safety and turn on your head lamps even in broad daylight.
Some or even most Filipino drivers on the road would have also pushed the button with the red triangle icon on it. But not you.
This writer says that you made the right move by not turning the hazard lights on. Kudos.
Whether to switch the hazard button on while on the road or not in a heavy downpour has been the subject of recent hot debate in social media
While others reason out that switching the hazard lights on helps drivers see one’s vehicle in the rain, this article serves to suggest otherwise.
In fact, it will do more harm than good.
Law-enforcement officials say hazard lights can actually make other drivers think you are stopped or stalled. It can also confuse other drivers about whether you are going right or left, especially when changing lanes.
In Florida, USA, for example, it is illegal to drive with your hazard lights on as these are only used for stopped vehicles, officials said.
The only situation wherein Florida drivers are allowed to use their hazards when in motion is when the vehicle is being used in a funeral procession.
“Flashers are for emergency situations,” Florida authorities said.
“First responders look for flashers to see if someone needs help,” added a Florida Highway Patrol spokesman.
In this country, meanwhile, a 1968 treaty contains the following provisions in Article 32, which is about “Rules on the Use of Lamps.”
On June 6, 1973, then-President Ferdinand Marcos ratified the treaty titled “The 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic,” of which the Philippines was an official participant, and made it “part of the law of the land.”
The law states that: “In thick fog, falling snow, heavy rain or similar conditions, passing lamps or front fog lamps may be used. Rear fog lamps may, in these conditions, be used as a supplement to the rear-position lamps.
“Hazard warning signal may be used only to warn other road-users of a particular danger: [a] When a vehicle which has broken down or has been involved in an accident cannot be moved immediately, so that it constitutes an obstacle to other road-users; and [b] when indicating to other road-users the risk of an imminent danger”
What to do instead
When visibility is as terrible as your great grandmother’s eyesight, start thinking of pulling off of the road, highway or street that you are on. Don’t do this on a whim, of course. Always think safety. When you’re on the innermost or middle lane, switch on the turn signal and gradually change lanes. Once you find a safe spot, slowly park your car and stop. That’s when you turn your hazard lights on. Now, wait. Once you think the rain has subsided. Look to your left if the road is free to safely get back on. Before proceeding, switch off the hazard lights and put on the turn signal.
Now, before turning those hazard lights on, think first.
Not unless you really want to be an actual hazard on the road.
Image credits: Ronald Rey M. de los Reyes