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Canadian Shield
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Canadian Shield
Stratigraphic range: Precambrian
Had'n
Archean
Proterozoic
Pha.
Type
Shield
Unit of
North American craton
Sub-units
Laurentian Upland
Kazan[1]
Area
8 000 000 km2[2]
Location
Region
North America
Country
Canada
United States

The Canadian Shield is a broad region of Precambrian rock (pictured in shades of red) that encircles Hudson Bay. It spans eastern, northeastern, and east-central Canada and the upper midwestern United States.
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier canadien (French), is a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks (geological shield) that forms the ancient geological core of the North American continent (the North American Craton or Laurentia). Composed of igneous rock resulting from its long volcanic history, the area is covered by a thin layer of soil.[3] With a deep, common, joined bedrock region in eastern and central Canada, it stretches north from the Great Lakes to the Arctic Ocean, covering over half of Canada; it also extends south into the northern reaches of the United States. Human population is sparse, and industrial development is minimal,[4] while mining is prevalent.
Contents
1 Geographical extent
2 Geology
3 Ecology
4 Mining and economics
5 See also
6 References
7 Further reading
Geographical extent
The Canadian Shield is a physiographic division, consisting of five smaller, physiographic provinces: the Laurentian Upland, Kazan Region, Davis, Hudson and James.[1] The shield extends into the United States as the Adirondack Mountains (connected by the Frontenac Axis) and the Superior Upland. The Canadian Shield is U-shaped and is a subsection of the Laurentia craton signifying the area of greatest glacial impact (scraping down to bare rock) creating the thin soils. The Canadian Shield is more than 3.96 billion years old. The Canadian Shield once had jagged peaks, higher than any of today's mountains, but millions of years of erosion have changed these mountains to rolling hills.[5]
The Canadian Shield is a collage of Archean plates and accreted juvenile arc terranes and sedimentary basins of the Proterozoic Eon that were progressively amalgamated during the interval 2.45 to 1.24 Ga, with the most substantial growth period occurring during the Trans-Hudson orogeny, between ca. 1.90 to 1.80 Ga.[6] The Canadian Shield was the first part of North America to be permanently elevated above sea level and has remained almost wholly untouched by successive encroachments of the sea upon the continent. It is the Earth's greatest area of exposed Archean rock. The metamorphic base rocks are mostly from the Precambrian Supereon (between 4.5 billion and 540 million years ago), and have been repeatedly uplifted and eroded. Today it consists largely of an area of low relief 300 to 610 m (980 to 2,000 ft) above sea level with a few monadnocks and low mountain ranges (including the Torngat and Laurentian Mountains) probably eroded from the plateau during the Cenozoic Era. During the Pleistocene Epoch, continental ice sheets depressed the land surface (see Hudson Bay), scooped out thousands of lake basins, and carried away much of the region's soil.
When the Greenland section is included, the Shield is approximately circular, bounded on the northeast by the northeast edge of Greenland, with Hudson Bay in the middle. It covers much of Greenland, Labrador, most of Quebec north of the St. Lawrence River, much of Ontario including northern sections of the southern peninsula between the Great Lakes, the Adirondack Mountains[7] of New York, the northernmost part of Lower Michigan and all of Upper Michigan, northern Wisconsin, northeastern Minnesota, the central/northern portions of Manitoba away from Hudson Bay, northern Saskatchewan, a small portion of northeastern Alberta,[8] and the mainland northern Canadian territories to the east of a line extended north from the Saskatchewan/Alberta border (Northwest Territories and Nunavut).[2] In total, the exposed area of the Shield covers approximately 8,000,000 km2 (3,100,000 sq mi). The true extent of the Shield is greater still and stretches from the Western Cordillera in the west to the Appalachians in the east and as far south as Texas, but these regions are overlaid with much younger rocks and sediment. The underlying rock structure also includes Hudson Bay.
Canadian Shield geography in the Flin Flon, Manitoba region. The lake in the background is Big Island Lake.[clarification needed]
Geology
Weathered Precambrian pillow lava in the Temagami Greenstone Belt
The Canadian Shield is among the oldest on earth, with regions dating from 2.5 to 4.2 billion years.[9] The multitude of rivers and lakes in the entire region is caused by the watersheds of the area being so young and in a state of sorting themselves out with the added effect of post-glacial rebound. The Shield was originally an area of very large, very tall mountains (about 12,000 metres or 39,000 feet)[10] with much volcanic activity, but over hundreds of millions of years, the area has been eroded to its current topographic appearance of relatively low relief.[citation needed] It has some of the oldest (extinct) volcanoes on the planet.[citation needed] It has over 150 volcanic belts (now deformed and eroded down to nearly flat plains) whose bedrock ranges from 600 to 1200 million years old.[citation needed]
Each belt probably grew by the coalescence of accumulations erupted from numerous vents, making the tally of volcanoes reach the hundreds. Many of Canada's major ore deposits are associated with Precambrian volcanoes.
The Sturgeon Lake Caldera in Kenora District, Ontario, is one of the world's best preserved mineralized Neoarchean caldera complexes, which is 2.7 billion years old.[11] The Canadian Shield also contains the Mackenzie dike swarm, which is the largest dike swarm known on Earth.[12]
Typical Canadian Shield: spruce, lakes, bogs, and rock.
Mountains have deep roots and float on the denser mantle much like an iceberg at sea. As mountains erode, their roots rise and are eroded in turn. The rocks that now form the surface of the Shield were once far below the Earth's surface.
The high pressures and temperatures at those depths provided ideal conditions for mineralization. Although these mountains are now heavily eroded, many large mountains still exist in Canada's far north called the Arctic Cordillera. This is a vast deeply dissected mountain range, stretching from northernmost Ellesmere Island to the northernmost tip of Labrador. The range's highest peak is Nunavut's Barbeau Peak at 2,616 metres (8,583 ft) above sea level.[13] Precambrian rock is the major component of the bedrock.
The North American craton is the bedrock forming the heart of the North American continent and the Canadian Shield is the largest exposed part of the craton's bedrock.
The Canadian Shield is part of an ancient continent called Arctica, which was formed about 2.5 billion years ago during the Neoarchean era. It was split into Greenland, Laurentia, Scotland and Siberia and is now roughly situated in the Arctic around the current North Pole.
Ecology
The current surface expression of the Shield is one of very thin soil lying on top of the bedrock, with many bare outcrops. This arrangement was caused by severe glaciation during the ice age, which covered the Shield and scraped the rock clean.
The lowlands of the Canadian Shield have a very dense soil that is not suitable for forestation; it also contains many marshes and bogs (muskegs). The rest of the region has coarse soil that does not retain moisture well and is frozen with permafrost throughout the year. Forests are not as dense in the north.
Typical landscape in a southern Ontario region with very few old growth trees, due to a history of logging and fires. Black River, Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park.
The Shield is covered in parts by vast boreal forests in the south that support natural ecosystems as well as a major logging industry. This boreal forest area includes ecoregions such as the Eastern Canadian Shield taiga that covers northern Quebec and most of Labrador, and the Midwestern Canadian Shield forests that run westwards from Northwestern Ontario. Hydrographical drainage is generally poor, the soil compacting effects of glaciation being one of the many causes. Tundra typically prevails in the northern regions. Many mammals such as caribou, white-tailed deer, moose, wolves, wolverines, weasels, mink, otters, grizzly bear, polar bears and black bears are present.[14] In the case of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) the Shield area contains many of the denning locations such as the Wapusk National Park.[15]
Mining and economics
The Canadian Shield is one of the world's richest areas in terms of mineral ores. It is filled with substantial deposits of nickel, gold, silver, and copper. Throughout the Shield there are many mining towns extracting these minerals. The largest, and one of the best known, is Sudbury, Ontario. Sudbury is an exception to the normal process of forming minerals in the Shield since the Sudbury Basin is an ancient meteorite impact crater. Ejecta from the meteorite impact was found in the Rove Formation in May 2007. The nearby, but less known Temagami Magnetic Anomaly, has striking similarities to the Sudbury Basin. This suggests it could be a second metal-rich impact crater.[16]
In northeastern Quebec, the giant Manicouagan Reservoir is the site of an extensive hydroelectric project (Manic-cinq, or Manic-5). This is one of the largest-known meteorite impact craters on Earth.
The Flin Flon greenstone belt in central Manitoba and east-central Saskatchewan is one of the largest Paleoproterozoic volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VMS) districts in the world, containing 27 copper-zinc-(gold) deposits from which more than 183 million tons[clarification needed] of sulfide have been mined.[17]
The Shield, particularly the portion in the Northwest Territories, has recently been the site of several major diamond discoveries. The kimberlite pipes in which the diamonds are found are closely associated with cratons, which provide the deep lithospheric mantle required to stabilize diamond as a mineral. The kimberlite eruptions then bring the diamonds from over 150 kilometres (93 mi) depth to the surface. Currently the Ekati and Diavik mines are actively mining kimberlite diamonds.
See also
Geography of Canada portal
Athabasca Basin
Platform
Oldest rock
Basement
Platform basement
Volcanology of Canada
Glacial history of Minnesota
References
^ Jump up to: a b The Atlas of Canada. "Physiographic Regions Map" (JP2). Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
^ Jump up to: a b Encyclopædia Britannica. "Canadian Shield". Archived from the original on 2015-06-24. Retrieved 2009-02-10.
Jump up ^ Stephen Marshak. Essentials of Geology. 3rd ed.
Jump up ^ "Canadian Shield Archived 2006-08-21 at the Wayback Machine." in Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th ed., 2005.
Jump up ^ James-Abra, Erin. "Canadian Shield". Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
Jump up ^ Corrigan, D. (2008). "Metallogeny and Tectonic Evolution of the Trans-Hudson Orogen" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
Jump up ^ Peterson Field Guide to Geology of Eastern North America by Roberts, David & Roger Tory Peterson.
Jump up ^ Alberta Heritage - Alberta Online Encyclopedia Archived 2010-12-08 at Archive-It - The Canadian Shield Region of Alberta
Jump up ^ Tsuyoshi Iizuka, at al., Geology and Zircon Geochronolgy of the Acasta Gneiss Complex, Precambrian Research, 153 (2007) pp. 179 - 208
Jump up ^ Clark, Bruce W. (1999). "Geologic History". Making Connections: Canada's geography. Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice Hall Ginn Canada. p. 95. ISBN 0-13-012635-7.
Jump up ^ Caldera Volcanoes Archived 2012-06-16 at WebCite Retrieved on 2007-07-20
Jump up ^ Mark Pilkington and Walter R. Roest, Removing varying directional trends in aeromagnetic data, Geophysics, vol. 63 no. 2 (1998), pp. 446–453.
Jump up ^ "Barbeau Peak". Bivouac.com.
Jump up ^ World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Northern Canadian Shield taiga". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08.
Jump up ^ C. Michael Hogan (2008) Polar Bear: Ursus maritimus, Globaltwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg Archived December 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ 3-D Magnetic Imaging using Conjugate Gradients: Temagami anomaly Archived 2009-07-11 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 2008-03-12
Jump up ^ Norris, Jessica (2007). "Report on the 2007 Diamond Drilling Program McClarty Lake Project, Manitoba" (PDF). Aurora Geosciences Ltd. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-30. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
Further reading
Library resources about
Canadian Shield
Resources in your library
Resources in other libraries
Schwartzenberger, Tina (2005), The Canadian Shield, Weigl Educational ISBN 1-55388-141-9
Pazynych V.G. Formation of placer gold deposits in Canadian Shield during late Wisconsin glaciation
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Coordinates: 52°00′N 71°00′W / 52.000°N 71.000°W / 52.000; -71.000
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Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Canadian_Shield&oldid=862677040"
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Headlight flashing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Typical dashboard icon indicating that high beams are illuminated
Headlight flashing is the act of either briefly switching on the headlights of a car, or of momentarily switching between a headlight's high beams and low beams, in an effort to communicate with another driver or drivers. The signal is sometimes referred to in car manufacturers' manuals as an optical horn, since it draws the attention of other drivers.
The signal can be intended to convey a variety of messages, including a warning to other drivers of road hazards, telling a driver they can pass through or alerting a driver of speed traps, and it can also be a form of aggressive driving. The legality of headlight flashing varies by jurisdiction.
Contents
[hide]
1 History
2 Uses
3 Effectiveness and ambiguity
4 Legality and meaning
4.1 Australia
4.2 Bangladesh
4.3 Canada
4.4 India
4.5 Jamaica
4.6 United Kingdom
4.7 United States
5 Urban legend
6 See also
7 References
History[edit]
Headlight flashing might have come into more common use as a means of attempting driver-to-driver communication by the mid-1970s,[1] when cars began to come with headlight beam selectors located on the steering column—typically activated by pulling the turn signal stalk—rather than the previous foot-operated pushbutton switches. The signal stalk configuration was later wired to permit the momentary activation of the high beams regardless of whether the headlamp switch was turned on or off.
Uses[edit]
Headlight flashing attracts attention, and so can be considered the visual equivalent of blowing the horn. Indeed, some car owner's manuals identify headlight control on the steering column as the "optical horn". Like the horn, it has many uses.
Headlight flashing can let other drivers know of one's presence.[2]
Flashing can acknowledge the presence or actions of other drivers.
Flashing can be a signal that the flashing driver is yielding the right of way, for example at an intersection controlled by stop signs.[3]
Flashing can warn other drivers of road dangers, such as crashed cars or police speed traps.[4]
Flashing can be used to give thanks. For example, when one is warned of police activity, it is sometimes considered courteous to flash back.[5]
Flashing can inform drivers of problems with their car, such as headlamps left off after dark, burned out or misaligned lights, or misuse of high beam rather than low beam in traffic;[6] or to berate a driver who poses a risk to traffic.[4] Headlight flashing coupled with blowing the car's horn can help clear deer from a driver's path.[7]
Flashing can indicate the intention to overtake or pass another driver,[8][9] or to signal a driver who has just overtaken that he or she can now return to the original lane. Flashing can request or insist that a leading driver speed up or change lanes to get out of the way of a faster following driver.[10][11]
Headlight flashing may constitute aggressive driving,[10] and can be used in an attempt to intimidate others into speeding or otherwise driving unsafely.[12]
Some drivers attempt to communicate "I will continue my current behavior!" when flashing their headlights. For example, if such a driver flashes his or her headlights while slowing down, they intend to communicate to another driver who is waiting to merge in traffic: "Go on, I will let you merge!" On the other hand, if such a driver keeps his or her current speed and flashes headlights, they intend to communicate "Stay back, I am not slowing down!"
Headlight flashing may also indicate protest or celebration of an event or political position.[13][14]
Motorcycle headlamp modulators automatically oscillate the intensity of the headlamp in an effort to make the motorcycle more conspicuous to other drivers.[15]
Effectiveness and ambiguity[edit]
Headlight flashing as an effective mode of driver communication has been questioned,[16] and researchers have found the ability of drivers to communicate with one another is about the same as the communication abilities among insects.[17] However, when used as a means of increasing conspicuousness to other drivers, as in the case of motorcycle high/low beam modulators, it is highly effective.
Flashed headlamps can have ambiguous or contradictory meanings, with no way for the observing driver to tell for sure what the flashing driver is trying to say. It may mean, for example, that the flashing driver intends to yield the right of way, or instead that he intends to take it.[17] Misinterpretation of the flashing driver's intent can cause crashes.[18]
Legality and meaning[edit]
Australia[edit]
Headlight flashing to warn drivers of traffic enforcement cameras is illegal in the state of Queensland, carrying a $30 fine and one demerit point, or a $1500 fine if the fine is unsuccessfully challenged in court.[19] Officers may either fine a driver for improper use of headlights, or may even arrest and prosecute for hindering police.[19]
In the state of New South Wales, headlight flashing by regular drivers (that is, not a police officer, etc.) for any reason is illegal, except in emergency purposes, and except immediately before overtaking.[20]
In Victoria, Traffic Superintendent Dean McWhirter has said he is happy for motorists to flash their lights to warn other motorists they were approaching a speed camera in 2013.[21]
Bangladesh[edit]
Headlight flashing is common in Bangladesh, where roads are sometimes narrow and lane discipline is lax. It is done by large vehicles such as buses or trucks to alert smaller, more maneuverable vehicles to their presence and to encourage them to make way, for example by moving to the side of the road.[citation needed]
Canada[edit]
In Ontario, the Highway Traffic Act does not prohibit "flashing head beams".[22] Some have brought tickets to court, claiming the law only regulates the use of alternating lights in an attempt to impersonate emergency and law enforcement vehicles, and not a driver's manually flashing his car's headlamps to communicate with other drivers.[22] The section that deals with alternating headlights in Ontario is Section 169 of the Highway Traffic Act. It is an offence to improperly use high-beams at night, which is dealt with by way of section 168 of the Highway Traffic Act.[23]
India[edit]
Headlight flashing in India is often used as a signal that the driver flashing you is offering to let you go first. Such use is however strongly discouraged because it can lead to accidents where the driver flashing has not seen the approach of another road user. It is also used to indicate to an oncoming vehicle to either stop or give way in narrow lanes.
Jamaica[edit]
On some occasions, motorists who flashed their headlights to warn of police activity have unwittingly helped fugitives evade police. In 2008, one of Jamaica's most wanted men went around police checkpoints which had been set up on his most likely routes after a driver had flashed his headlights to warn of police ahead.[24] Drivers were warned that flashing headlights may result in "unwittingly facilitating criminal activity".[24]
United Kingdom[edit]
Though not all of its rules represent law, the Highway Code states "Only flash your headlights to let other road users know that you are there. Do not flash your headlights in an attempt to intimidate other road users".[1] Drivers warning others about speed traps have been fined in the past for "misuse of headlights".[25]
Headlight flashing in the United Kingdom is often used as a signal that the driver flashing you is offering to let you go first. Such use is however strongly discouraged because it can lead to accidents where the driver flashing has not seen the approach of another road user.[26] Using it to indicate that you are coming through and the other driver must wait, could lead to an accident.[citation needed]
Drivers should also be aware of the so-called "Flash-for-Cash" scam, in which criminals flash their lights to let other drivers out of a junction, then crash into them on purpose in order to make fraudulent insurance claims for damage and whiplash injury.[27]
United States[edit]
In the United States, although the legality of headlight flashing varies from state to state, a federal court ruled that flashing headlights was a constitutionally protected form of speech, issuing an injunction prohibiting a police department from citing or prosecuting drivers who flash their lights to warn of radar and speed traps.[28][29][30]
Some states consider that drivers have a First Amendment right to flash their headlights. In other states, law enforcement officers give citations for headlight flashing under three types of laws: (1) laws prohibiting a person from obstructing a police investigation, (2) laws prohibiting a person from having flashing lights on their vehicle, and (3) laws prohibiting shining a vehicle’s high beams at oncoming traffic. The specific language of each law varies by state along with courts’ holdings on whether their respective laws prohibit headlight flashing. Additionally, although not legally binding, the state driver’s manual of some states suggests flashing high beams under specific scenarios (e.g. if an oncoming vehicle is using its high beams, driver’s manuals suggest a motorist flash his or her high beams momentarily).[31][32]
In Alaska, a State Trooper has probable cause to stop a driver who flashes a vehicle’s high beams based upon a violation of 13 AAC 04.020(e)(1).[33]
In Arizona, flashing high beams or headlights is a violation of A.R.S. Section 28-942.1 (Failure to Dim Headlights). However, A.R.S. Section 28-942.2. states: If the driver of a vehicle follows another vehicle within two hundred feet to the rear, except when engaged in the act of overtaking and passing, the driver shall use a distribution of light permissible under this article other than the uppermost distribution of light specified in section 28-941, paragraph 1.[34]
In California, headlight flashing is legal in some situations and illegal in others. It is legal for a driver to flash his headlights to indicate intention to pass on a road which does not allow passing on the right. However, headlight flashing on multiple-lane highways is illegal.[10]
In Florida, headlight flashing is protected free speech pursuant to the First Amendment.[35] Additionally, on 1 January 2013, §316.2397(7), Fla. Stat. was amended to legalize headlight flashing.[36][37] In 2005 and 2011, judges in County Court held that flashing a vehicle's headlights is not a violation of §316.239(7), Fla. Stat.[38][39]
In Illinois, a "flashing to warn" citation was successfully defended on May 7, 2015 in Boone County, via People vs. White, as the bench trial judge found the use of Illinois Vehicle Code 12-212(b) addresses lighting equipment, but not motorist behavior relative to usage of lighting systems.[citation needed]
In Louisiana, drivers who flash headlights are typically cited for a violation of Louisiana Revised Statute Title 32:327, Section C which states: Flashing lights are prohibited except on authorized emergency vehicles, school buses, or on any vehicle as a means of indicating a right or left turn, or the presence of a vehicular traffic hazard requiring unusual care in approaching, overtaking or passing.[40]
In Maryland, police officers sometimes ticket drivers for flashing car headlights under a law which prohibits driving in a vehicle with flashing lights and laws prohibiting "obstructing a police investigation".[5] The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland challenges the current interpretation of the law, contending the law refers to an adjective and not a verb; that automatic flashing lights on non-emergency vehicles are illegal, but the act by a driver of manually flashing a vehicle's headlamps is not.[5] Though ticketing was common in the 1990s, Maryland and Washington DC police say that flashing one's headlights was not against the law in either place.[41]
In Massachusetts, the practice of headlight flashing is technically not forbidden. A suspicious police officer can ask a motorist if they were flashing their lights to warn oncoming motorists of police presence. If the motorist denies this, the officer can ask if the vehicle has defective lights, which is a violation of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 90, Section 7.[42]
In Michigan, it is illegal to flash high beams within 500 feet of oncoming traffic.[43]
In Minnesota, drivers are not prohibited from briefly flashing their high beams in a manner that does not blind or impair approaching drivers.[44]
In Missouri, a trial judge in St. Louis held that drivers have a First Amendment right to flash their headlights.[45][46]
In New Jersey, drivers are allowed to flash their headlights to warn approaching drivers about a speed trap ahead.[47] In 1999, The Superior Court of New Jersey Appellate Division held that a statute limiting how far high beams may project is not violated when a motorist flashes his or her high beams to warn oncoming motorists of radar. The Court also concluded that a stop by a police officer based upon high beam flashing is also improper.[48]
In New York, headlight flashing is not illegal. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 375 [3] requires that headlamps "shall be operated so that dazzling light does not interfere with the driver of the approaching vehicle".[49] In 1994, New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division held that flipping or flicking high beams at approaching vehicles is insufficient to cause the "dazzling lights" prohibited under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 375 [3].[50] In 2009, the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division (Fourth Department) held that the flashing of lights alone is not a violation of New York Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 375 [3], that stopping a vehicle based upon that is illegal, and all evidence gathered as a result of the illegal stop should be suppressed.[51]
In North Dakota, when an oncoming vehicle is within 500 feet, high-beam flashing for any length of time (including momentary flashes) and for any purpose at night is illegal under N.D.C.C. Section 39-21-21.[52]
In Ohio, courts have held that the act of flashing one's headlights so as to alert oncoming drivers of a radar trap does not constitute the offense of obstructing a police officer in the performance of his duties, where there was no proof that the warned vehicles were speeding prior to the warning.[53][54] In another case, where a driver received a citation under an ordinance prohibiting flashing lights on a vehicle, a court held that the ordinance referred to the noun of flashing lights and did not prohibit the verb of flashing the headlights on a vehicle.[55] In a different case, a court held that a momentary flick of the high beams is not a violation of Ohio R.C. 4513.15[56] (which prohibits drivers from aiming glaring rays into the eyes of oncoming drivers).[57]
In Oregon, a court ruled that flashing a vehicle's headlights to warn others about the presence of law enforcement is protected free speech under Article I, section 8, of the Constitution of Oregon.[58]
In Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has ruled that flashing one's highbeams during the day to warn of speed traps is legal.[59][60]
In Tennessee, flashing headlights to warn oncoming traffic of a police car ahead is protected free speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.[61][62]
In Virginia, headlight flashing to warn of police activity is not against the law; however radar detectors remain outlawed.[63] Virginia motor vehicle code specifies an "audible or light signal" to indicate overtaken vehicles should yield in certain situations [64]
In Washington, flashing high beams could be considered illegal, as section 46.37.230 of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) states that drivers may not use their high beams within 500 feet (150 m) of oncoming traffic, or within 300 feet (91 m) of traffic in front of them. However, at least in the case of oncoming traffic, other courts interpreting a statute similar to this one have held that momentary headlight flashing which does not adversely affect the vision of the oncoming driver is not prohibited. Under Washington's law, violating RCW 46.37.230 may result in a $124 traffic infraction.[1][65]
In Wisconsin, the law allows a vehicle operator to intermittently flash a vehicle’s highbeam headlamps at an oncoming vehicle whose highbeam headlamps are lit.[66][67]
Urban legend[edit]
Beginning in the early 1980s, a widespread rumor regarding flashing headlights was spread mainly through fax, and later on the internet. The rumor stated that various gangs across the United States carry out an initiation wherein the initiate drives around at night with his headlights off. Whichever driver flashes his headlamps in response to the unlit car becomes the target; to complete the initiation, the prospective gang member must hunt down and shoot, kill, assault, or rape the target.[68] The story was widely spread by many government organizations, including the New Mexico State Police.[6] This rumor has been proven an urban legend.[69]
The story originated in Montana in the early 1980s, where it was rumored that the Hells Angels bike gang was initiating recruits in this way. By 1984, the story had spread to Eugene, Oregon, where it had morphed into a story of Latino and black gangs targeting whites.[68] In August 1993, the story once again appeared, this time spread through fax and email forwarding. Warning of a "blood initiation weekend" on 25 and 26 September, the rumor this time led some police departments to issue warnings after having received the fake ones.[68] In February 1994, a resident of Massillon, Ohio revived the rumor by issuing flyers which claimed that killings would take place at Westfield Belden Village. After a night of sending faxes to local businesses, the person was arrested for inducing panic.[68]
The rumor once again spread in October 1998, when a new fax, this time claiming to originate with a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) officer in Texas. The rumor spread further when officials in the San Diego government circulated the fax among city agencies; this version of the fax, though quickly dismissed within city government when it was found that the Sheriff's office had no real connection to it, now appeared to be a legitimate government-issued document.[68] Also in the fall of 1998, the Sheriff's office of Nassau County, Florida sent a warning about such gang initiation to the county fire department, who subsequently spread the fax to all county agencies. Police dispatcher Ann Johnson had thought the message urgent enough to send, but had not bothered to check its legitimacy.[68]
The rumor provided inspiration for the 1998 film Urban Legend,[68] and served as a plot device in Mark Billingham's 2008 novel In The Dark.[70] An incident inspired by this legend is the catalyst for the 2007 film Death Sentence, starring Kevin Bacon.
See also[edit]
Wig-wag, automatic headlight flashing device
References[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b Farlam, John (2008). "Know the code?". SmartDriving. Archived from the original on 2 May 2009.
Jump up ^ "Flash properly!". Sligo Weekender. Thomas Crosbie Holdings. 5 April 2005. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
Jump up ^ John, Honest (23 March 2004). "Honest John's agony column". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
^ Jump up to: a b Kwa, Tion (13 October 2007). "Where blinking lights rule but signal lights are optional". The Straits Times. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
^ Jump up to: a b c Rojas, Rick (17 June 2009). "Drivers Warning About Police At Issue in Montgomery Case". The Washington Post. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
^ Jump up to: a b Associated Press (8 November 1998). "Flashing headlights at unlit cars could get gunfire for an answer". The Daily Courier. pp. 10C. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
Jump up ^ "State motorists are warned to watch out for deer". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Journal Communications. 13 October 1996. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
Jump up ^ "Proper Passing Technique". The Washington Post. 20 April 1996. pp. A.12. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
Jump up ^ Hawrylyshyn, George (25 May 1971). "Truck drivers in Brazil create language for the road". The Free Lance–Star. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
^ Jump up to: a b c Richards, Gary (7 February 2006). "Flashing lights at another car often illegal, highly discouraged". San Jose Mercury News. AccessMyLibrary. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
Jump up ^ Anzia, Ronald (15 April 1966). "It Pays to Be a 'Professional' Driver". Milwaukee Sentinel. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
Jump up ^ "The End Of the Back Roads". The Washington Post. 26 January 1989. pp. m.02. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
Jump up ^ "Venezuelan Police Seize Businessman Who Led 2-Month Strike". The New York Times. 21 February 2003. pp. A7. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
Jump up ^ Matuszewski, Erik (28 October 2004). "Red Sox Erase Curse With First World Series Title Since 1918". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
Jump up ^ Turner, Ramona (22 June 2009). "Street Smarts: What's with the flashing headlights motorcyclists are sporting nowadays?". San Jose Mercury News. MediaNews Group. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
Jump up ^ Farlam, John (2008). "A Little Understanding". SmartDriving. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008.
^ Jump up to: a b "Insects in the driving seat". New Scientist. United Kingdom: Reed Business Information (1826). 20 June 1992.
Jump up ^ Farlam, John (2008). "Doing as you're Told?". SmartDriving. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009.
^ Jump up to: a b Dibben, Kay (26 October 2008). "Drivers illegally flash lights to warn of speed cameras". The Sunday Mail. News Corporation. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
Jump up ^ "Australian Road Rules - Reg 218(2)". Retrieved February 24, 2016.
Jump up ^ Moor, Keith (15 October 2013). "New rules allow speed cameras to be concealed, but police say it's OK to flash lights and warn others". Herald Sun. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
^ Jump up to: a b Ward, Bruce (13 February 2008). "To flash your lights". Ottawa Citizen. Canwest. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
Jump up ^ "The Ontario Highway Traffic Act". E-laws - Government Website. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
^ Jump up to: a b "Flashing headlights helping criminals, say police". The Jamaica Observer. 8 February 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-02-11. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
Jump up ^ James Tozer (June 2012). "Flash, bang, wallop: Drivers fined for flashing headlights at oncoming cars to warn them of police speed trap". p. 1. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
Jump up ^ "Flashing Headlights". Driving Test Tips. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
Jump up ^ "Warning over 'flash-for-cash' car accident insurance scam". BBC News. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
Jump up ^ "Ellisville Permanently Stopped from Ticketing Drivers who Flash Headlights to Communicate". Aclu-mo.org. ACLU. April 9, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
Jump up ^ Bomboy, Scott (April 16, 2014). "Constitutional right to flash your head lights gains momentum". National Constitution Center. Retrieved February 3, 2018. "The citation was clearly given to punish the Defendant for that expression,” the judge said in the case. "The government certainly can and should enforce the traffic laws for the safety of all drivers on the road. However, the government cannot enforce the traffic laws, or any other laws, to punish drivers for their expressive conduct.”
Jump up ^ "Flashing headlights to warn other drivers about speed traps ruled as a legal expression of free speech by Missouri judge". Daily Mail. February 6, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2018. Judge Autrey said in his ruling that the flashing of headlights was essentially a good thing, sending 'a message to bring one's driving in conformity with the law — whether it be by slowing down, turning on one's own headlamps at dusk or in the rain, or proceeding with caution.'
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