On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 23:39:25 +0000, Tim Streater
wrote:

In article ,
wrote:

On Sun, 25 Nov 2012 19:41:05 +0000, Graham.
wrote:

Modern!??

Everyone was doing that in 1975. Probably before...

Since cars have had electric lights at least!

Don't think it was that common till around the 1970's and electric
lights have been the norm for roughly 50 years before that.

Plenty of drivers in the 60s would have been able to flash, even if only
by flicking the lights on/off briefly. And cars with knobs on the dash
board - that's the 50s you're thinking of.

My current Skoda has the light selector knob on the dash, so did the
selection of Focus's (Focii?) before that.
The dip-switch has always been on a stalk even on my first car, a 1971
Vauxhall Viva, and that had a leaky push-button pump for the
windscreen washer on the dash.

My recollection is drivers uses to flash as an invitation, thanks, or
silent rebuke much as they do now, perhaps my recollection is wrong.

You would certainly get flashed if you had the audacity to turn on
your lights in daylight irrespective of how hard it was pelting down
with rain, Volvo had an advertising campaign that tried to educate
drivers about this, and some Volvo owners had their lights modified so
they could be switched off.

It was common for bus drivers to flash the interior lights as a thanks
to the driver behind, that's something I haven't seen for years.

And before hazard warning lights bus drivers often had the good sense
to lean something against the back of their broken down vehicle so you
knew it was stranded.





--
Graham.
%Profound_observation%