Can You Legally Flash Your Headlights At Another Car In Minnesota?
It's something we've all probably done while driving at night, but is it really against the law here in Minnesota to flash your headlights at another car?
There are many things we do when we're behind the wheel that are rude to our fellow drivers. Things like tailgating too closely, continuously driving in the left lane while on the highway instead of moving back over the right lane, or not letting someone in while doing the zipper merge are all rude driving behaviors.
And one that also bugs me is when an oncoming car continues to drive toward you with its high beams on, blinding you in the process. This driving pet peeve of mine seems even worse today, as more and more cars sport those new extra-bright Xenon or LED headlights.
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So what do you do if that happens to you? You flash YOUR headlights at the oncoming car, hoping they'll get the hint and turn their high beams off, right? Well, it turns out if you do that-- like I just did while driving into the radio station this morning-- you're breaking the law here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
A person is not allowed to “flash” their headlights at another vehicle, even if that vehicle has its high beams on. When meeting a vehicle in Minnesota, dim your headlights to low beams at 1,000 feet (even on a divided roadway.) Also use your low beams when you’re following another vehicle at 200 feet or less.
I had no idea flashing your headlights at another car was against the law. And I confess to breaking that one often if someone coming towards me has their high beams on. Oops. So what are you supposed to do? Well, Sgt. Grabow suggests that, instead of looking directly into those blinding oncoming headlights, you should focus on the white line near the right shoulder of the road until the car passes. (Yeah, good luck with that!)
Speaking of driving, have you heard of the Must-Drive road here in the Bold North? (I thought maybe it was Highway 61 north of Duluth, along the North Shore-- but nope, that's not it!) Keep scrolling to check out a list of the best Must-Drive roads in all 50 states.
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