The ‘Truth’ About Driving With Hazard Lights Flashing During Bad Weather

This week, strong storms rumbled through Georgia. As I commuted home in very heavy rainfall, many cars were driving with their hazard lights flashing. I posted on my social media pages that many transportation experts frown upon that practice. This post provoked a range of opinions, some of which were in direct opposition to experts so I decided to dig into this a bit deeper and find the “truth.”

Not only do many experts advise against driving with the hazard lights flashing, the practice is actually illegal in several states. John Burkhauser is an auto repair specialist who advises against the practice. In a 2021 Reader’s Digest article he told the writers, “Realize that in bad weather it is hard enough to see you, but now with no turn signals, other drivers also don’t know where you may be going to.” The Tweet below by Charlotte-area meteorologist Brad Panovich sums it up.

In fact, many experts say if the rain or weather is bad enough to turn on hazard lights, then the driver should assume the conditions are too bad to continue driving the vehicle. The American Automobile Association (AAA) is a credible source of driver safety information. They do not recommend the practice either. AAA also notes that the practice is illegal in many states. Motorbiscuit.com has a great article listing the states in which you are breaking the law by riding with hazard lights flashing. Even it is legal, many law enforcement and safety experts caution that it is not wise to do so in the rain.

In 2016, the Johns Creek Police Department posted on its Facebook page, “Using your hazard lights while driving is illegal in several states, but not in Georgia. THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHOULD USE THEM.” The page went on to list the following reasons:

• Hazard lights reduce visibility and confuse drivers. They may think you are stalled or stopped.
• They make it challenging to know who is braking.
• They eliminate the turn signal function

They concluded with a reminder that hazard lights are a sign that you need help.

Though research is limited, there are studies that find that flashing hazard lights do impact perception or driving performance. A 1994 study published in Perceptual and Motor Skills compared performance in visually poor environments. A 2010 study of Malaysian drivers also sounded the alarm against driving with hazard lights flashing. However, it is apparent that more rigorous analysis may be needed because some very smart people in my social media world are not buying it. For now, I will take the advice often given in my articles and trust the experts on this one.