is it illegal to warn other motorists of cops ahead?

[cheech]

is it? what is not illegal?hand signals? taping the helmet, slow down motion etc ?.i was pulled over twice once for doing the slow down and once for flashing my lights. both times they threatened to charge me with obstruction of justice but just let me go after bitching about my exhaust and plate.i want to know if they actually can do anything.cause id really love to continue helping other motorists and tell the next cop to shove it

[Brian P]

It is not EXPLICITLY illegal. But it gets the cops ticked when you do it.

If I want to signal others, I do it in a discreet manner. Car drivers tend to understand the headlight-flash. Check your particular vehicle whether a headlight-flash also affects the tail lamps ... if the headlights are already on, it won't, but some cars make the taillamps come on if you use the high-beam flash-to-pass with the headlamp switch off, others don't (my current one doesn't, previous one did). On a bike, this won't matter, the taillamp is always on anyhow.

Hand signals are visible to the officer you just passed, until you're out of eyesight.

[adri]

Noob writes:
we have a slow-down signal?

[geoff-9]

i woudnt personally say it was illegal (although i dont know) because you could claim you were just waving in an odd manor, which is not illegal.

i signal by moving my finger around in a circular motion, immitating the lights of a cop car, seems to work as i always get thanked.

[adri]

I' gonna assume you mean pointed up while circling and not at yourself ^^
Awesome, thanks

[JP]

But what if that driver that you just let know the cops were ahead is completely loaded so he slows down and gets passed the cops. How would feel if that same driver smacks into someone else down the road and kills them?
I will and do warn other riders of the speed traps ahead but I dont for cars.
Most people in cars have no idea what tapping your helmet means but other riders do.

[DaveP]

I always flash my lights for trucks, most car drivers just don't get it! I never tap my helmet unless riding in a group.

[Gh0sT]

I'd say it's no different than a radio station warning drivers about R.I.D.E programs or speed traps. If an officer claimed it was, I'd love to see them try to prove it in a court of law.

[pearl]

half off-topic

how many people out there even knows the cop warning signal? I've always warned fellow bikers on the road, and have gotten a wide range of response, from the usual thank you, to the occasion middle finger

(I do the pat on top of helmet signal)

[Brian P]

Tapping on the top of the helmet is the accepted "police ahead" signal for motorcyclists ... and most car drivers wouldn't have a clue what it means. Flash of the high beams is one that quite a few - but far from all - car drivers understand, and most riders would understand that one, too.

If a driver/rider is too clued out to understand what that signal means then they deserve the ticket they might get!

Re drunk drivers, if they're paying enough attention to slow down when flashed, then they've probably paying at least a moderate amount of attention to the road and the traffic.

[xifias]

As a long time rider i believe we should not warn others for cops ahead
the reason is one
a GOOD MOTORCYCLE RIDER OBEYS THE RULES
if they dont they deserve the panishment
you have nothing to fear if you are legal and be stopped by a cop

[Rob MacLennan]

As a long time rider i believe we should not warn others for cops ahead
the reason is one
a GOOD MOTORCYCLE RIDER OBEYS THE RULES
if they dont they deserve the panishment
you have nothing to fear if you are legal and be stopped by a cop

I beg to differ.

There have been occasions on which police have set up speed traps and stopped motorcycles for as little as 5 Kmh over the limit, while letting cars pass at 10 or 15 over. These situations usually occur when there has been a recent bad crash between a bike and a car, that resulted in injuries to the car's occupants. For a motorcycle to be travelling at significantly less than the speed of traffic creates a dangerous situation for riders. Why would you not warn a fellow rider in such a situation? Why not at all, if the other rider isn't behaving in a patently dangerous manner?

[kramer]

I beg to differ.

There have been occasions on which police have set up speed traps and stopped motorcycles for as little as 5 Kmh over the limit, while letting cars pass at 10 or 15 over. These situations usually occur when there has been a recent bad crash between a bike and a car, that resulted in injuries to the car's occupants. For a motorcycle to be travelling at significantly less than the speed of traffic creates a dangerous situation for riders. Why would you not warn a fellow rider in such a situation? Why not at all, if the other rider isn't behaving in a patently dangerous manner?

I was tailed by a cop for about 15 kilometers (no word of a lie, I swear) on the QEW doing 110kmh in the right lane while cars were passing us at over 130 in the far left. Wound up getting pulled over for nothing, hassled for 10 minutes, and then sent on my way without any tickets or warnings of any kind.

So yes, always warn other riders when cops are around. There's no good reason not to.

As for that other post about "good riders always obeying the rules" give me a break... there are so many rules to follow on the road that chances are you're always breaking one or another anyway. That's a load of bull. Being a good rider has nothing to do with obeying every law 100% of the time.

[Metastable]

Really I don't see how telling someone to slow down or "becareful" would hold up as an obstruction of justice charge.

If you had a sign saying "speed trap ahead" fine. If you have a sign saying "slow down"... that has nothing to do with saying there are cops around.

[mat2312]

I was tailed by a cop for about 15 kilometers (no word of a lie, I swear) on the QEW doing 110kmh in the right lane while cars were passing us at over 130 in the far left. Wound up getting pulled over for nothing, hassled for 10 minutes, and then sent on my way without any tickets or warnings of any kind.

So yes, always warn other riders when cops are around. There's no good reason not to.

As for that other post about "good riders always obeying the rules" give me a break... there are so many rules to follow on the road that chances are you're always breaking one or another anyway. That's a load of bull. Being a good rider has nothing to do with obeying every law 100% of the time.

+1 nobody obeys the 100% of the laws, 100% of the time and nobody could drive if it was mandatory that we do.

[aeri]

a friend warned another car motorist by flashing the headlights of police ahead.
the cop then pulled him over and gave him a ticket for malfunctioning/broken headlights at night time.
was fought off. but stupid.

[Draiter]

With the flashing of your high beams.... if you are in the city it is illegal... It's not the fact that you are flashing your highbeams to warn of the police ahead, but its the actual act of USING your highbeams while in the city...
Using your highbeams within city limits is actually illegal.

Use of passing beam
168. When on a highway at any time when lighted lamps are required to be displayed on vehicles, the driver of a motor vehicle equipped with multiple beam headlamps shall use the lower or passing beam when,
(a) approaching an oncoming vehicle within 150 metres; or
(b) following another vehicle within 60 metres, except when in the act of overtaking and passing. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 168.

This is how they would get you for flashing your highbeams at oncoming traffic.... In the city you can't use your highbeams for this very reason.

[adri]

As a long time rider i believe we should not warn others for cops ahead
the reason is one
a GOOD MOTORCYCLE RIDER OBEYS THE RULES
if they dont they deserve the panishment
you have nothing to fear if you are legal and be stopped by a cop

Move over while my two-stroke 50cc scooter's torque sends me flying right past ya :P
I mean, I understand that to an extent, these speed traps and what have you actually do help. I was doing 30 over the limit on Lakeshore and realized I was being watched by a female officer, she let me pass by smiling and they nabbed the dick behind me who was overtaking me... he must of been doing something like 110 trying to show me who was boss... as if I seriously thought my scooter was gonna outpower him :s
All this to say, on occasion, they work, and I wouldn't warn anyone of a RIDE SAFE program ahead, ever.

[ChaserChris]

[adri]

Definitely. But if someone's ridding drunk, he's put his/her dumb @$$ at risk and mine too. You're doing him/her, yourself and everyone else a favor by failing to mention the Ride Safe point you just passed through.