How Do You Operate Hazard Warning Lights To Signal Your Car Or Vehicle Is Stationery?

Hazard Warning Light on car. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problems
How do you signal that your car or vehicle is stationery?

Why would you need to? On suburban roads you are supposed to park in the direction of the traffic so that drivers can see your tail lights (reflectors). But on a motorway vehicles are coming up fast and need warning to slow down and pass when safe to do so, or stop.

On a motorway you need flashing lights to warm that you are not moving.

a) If you have to stop on the hard shoulder of the motorway because of a fault in the car.

b) If the driver or passenger is unwell.

c) If another vehicle ahead has an accident.

d) An obstruction such as a living or dead animal.

e) A police block.

f) A traffic jam.

g) A criminal trying to rob you has stopped your car with a fake accident or simply by running in the road.

Stories
In the UK the worst accident for several years took place on the motorway. Apparently a large lorry (Americans say a truck) was stationery for more than ten minutes. A minibus appears to have come up behind it and pulled out, hitting another large vehicle. The two lorry drivers survived, but eight passengers in the minus died, leaving another four badly injured. Details are still emerging. Whoever was right or wrong, if anybody, the fact remains that if you are stationery, you want to warn others, to protect yourself and them (and third parties).

You need to know how to signal you are stationery, something rarely needed, if you are a driver, and / or have a new car.  As a passenger you need to be able to do the same, in the case of an accident, if the driver is unconscious or their arms are broken or trapped or they are in shock and can speak but can't move. This applies whether or not you can drive.

I asked my family how to operate the warning device on the car.

"Its a round red button with a black warning triangle, on the dashboard."

Story
My 1984 Motorway Accident
I remember being in shock when my car was hit in 1984. A man came running up to ask, "Are you OK."
"Yes," I said.
"You're lucky," he said.  "Not a scratch on you. But you can't drive. You'd better get out of the car."
"I can't move," I said.
"You are in shock!" he said.
"Yes," I admitted. "I can't move at all. I think you'd better call an ambulance."

The car was immobile. I was immobile. I thought I was OK, just breathing shallowly and fast, but I could not move. I later discovered I had broken ribs.

My 2013 Motorway Accident
I have written about this twice in earlier posts in 2013.

Tips
The week before a journey, check you are familiar with lights and dimming lights, operating the warning lights, the location of the warning triangle in the car. When loading the boot (Americans call it the trunk) be sure the warning triangle is not under the suitcases, perhaps, if you have a passenger, or think you are most likely to be accessing it safely from the passenger side, accessible on the left hand side, the passenger side.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4829456/Polish-born-drink-driver-31-court-M1-smash.html
http://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/lighting-requirements.html
https://mocktheorytest.com/resources/when-can-you-use-hazard-warning-lights/
http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/alive-after-motorway-accident.html

Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.