Is it legal to flash your headlights to warn drivers of speed traps? Here’s NC law
If someone flashes their headlights at you, it can mean law enforcement is nearby.
Drivers often use their headlights to warn other motorists of a nearby speed trap or sobriety checkpoint (or as a reminder to turn on your own headlights).
While most drivers appreciate the warning, as it could save them from paying a hefty fine (or worse), notifying other drivers of police presence using your headlights might result in a fine in North Carolina.
Here’s what state law says about flashing your headlights to warn drivers about speed traps.
Can you flash your headlights to warn other drivers about speed traps?
In North Carolina, there is no law that prohibits drivers from flashing their headlights to warn drivers about speed traps or sobriety checkpoints.
According to North Carolina-based Carl L. Britt Jr. Law Firm, the First Amendment protects drivers’ right to use headlights as a form of communication.
However, those who flash their high beams at cars approaching from less than 200 feet away may be “required to pay a penalty of not more than ten dollars,” according to state law.
What if you turn around at a sobriety checkpoint?
Encounters with law enforcement at speed traps can be avoided by slowing down, but police can perform traffic stops on drivers who attempt to bypass sobriety checkpoints.
Police officers in North Carolina can stop drivers who turn away from DWI checkpoints and perform sobriety tests if they have reasonable suspicion the driver is impaired, according to Browning & Long, a law firm based in Charlotte.
“DWI checkpoints do not violate the Fourth Amendment’s bar against unreasonable searches and seizures, so long as the DWI checkpoint is conducted in accordance with the mandatory constitutional and statutory requirements,” the firm says.
This story was originally published November 8, 2023 at 10:28 AM with the headline "Is it legal to flash your headlights to warn drivers of speed traps? Here’s NC law."
