Quick as a flash .

Back in the 1970's, two or three years before I became a professional driving instructor I bought an old Hillman Hunter .

The car cost £400 and I spent a further £450 rebuilding the engine (in the back bedroom of my council flat!) and re-painting.

The total of £850 was a lot of money in 1976, not least because it was all I had.

About six months after completing the 'restoration project' I was driving through North London when a driver flashed his headlamps to give way to a car emerging from the left at a crossroad where I was turning right.

Quick as a flash, my pride-and-joy was reduced to a heap of scrap metal.

This episode taught me a tough lesson about observation and about defensive driving - I can say with virtually 100% certainty that wouldn't have the same accident today.

I also learned that my cheap insurance policy wasn't worth the paper it was written on; with no pay-out I lost everything (selling the car later for £25).

But perhaps the most important and most valuable lesson I learned concerned the use of flashing headlights. In this section I explore the subject of 'Flashers' a little more ...

Click the links below or use the navigation arrows to follow the section sequentially.

	A little understanding ... What exactly do you think that flashing headlamps mean?
	Knowing the code Explores the official meaning of flashing headlamps
	Doing as you're told? Most drivers act first and think later where flashing is concerned - where do you fit in?.
	Don't be so aggressive! Are you a 'flashing' bully?
	What if I'm flashed? A few things to think about.
	Maybe I just won't bother ... Is there any time when flashing is useful?