Why do cars flash their high beams at me when I run at night?

OP here. The roads/neighborhoods in question are usually well-traveled residential areas with plenty of streetlights, popular with cyclists and runners (although admittedly not as popular at night).

I suspect most of the time it's just the drivers trying to get a better view of me, and I can live with that. I'd like to say it should be pretty obvious to them what's coming, as I've never had to use my high beams under these conditions for anything. But, being a night runner, I'm usually on the lookout for other runners, cyclists, etc. After witnessing a pedestrian get side-swiped by a car in a crosswalk at night a few weeks ago, the driver at fault complained to the police about "those runners" at night wearing dark clothes and never having any lights" Meanwhile I'm standing right next to the driver wearing a bright yellow shirt wearing a headlamp.

My point was not really a complaint but more of a curiosity. Personally, on the rare instance I flash my high beams for anything, it's usually a "hey, jackhole!" gesture for someone weaving in their lane (usually texting), running a light, etc.

These are my suggestions to the OP after a couple of years of predawn marathon training in the cold dark and frozen north:

1. Switch to morning runs. Drivers are more alert, tend to be solid citizens going to work. No teens or soccer moms or drunks.

2. Wear a reflective vest. Yeah they look stupid and are one more piece of gear, but they are much more visible to drivers than your yellow shirt (it's dark, bright color is not going to help that much)

3. Get rid of your headlamp and switch to LED knuckle lights. Then you can switch from high beam, to low beam, to flashing, gets the driver's attention, and they conditioned to respond by dimming their highbeams. Works for me almost all the time.

4. With your headlamp on high, by looking at the car, you are annoying to the driver, it might be they are getting you back. I've noticed this when I am driving or running and some runner is coming toward me with a high powered headlamp. I don't think they realize the are being jerks. With a knucklight it is easy to direct the beam down and switch the mode.

I run on dark, unlit rural/exurban roads, no sidewalks, no streetlights (and usually without using any light source until a car is coming). YMMV.

Blinded by the light. wrote:

I usually turn on the highest setting on my headlamp (1800 lumens)

1800 lumens? Are you running or lighting up the Empire State Building?

^yup, the correct answer, use a knuckle/hand lamp and stop being an ass blinding cars by looking at them. The quick ability to move your hand about makes it very easy to make sure you are seen without being annoying.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll look into the knuckle lights.

Couldn't it just be that the driver is trying to throw a little gesture as a way of saying, 'i see you' or 'i got your back'.

The reason this comes to mind is when i'm driving and a truck or bus or even another car ahead of me is signaling that they want to turn into my lane, i either flip the high beams on and off for a second or just flash the lights on and off once or twice. Point being, it's just a friendly signal of acknowledgement.

Maybe that's all it is when vehicles do that to you when you're running.

I had this happen for the first time last week. It was a well lit road in the evening hours (sun had just begun to go down) and it seemed a bit aggressive given the circumstance, as though they were saying, "Hey! Do you see me?!" and my thought was, "Yes, motherf**ker, do you see me??"

But perhaps as others have suggested, it was an acknowledgement that they did indeed see me, and they didn't understand that doing such a thing to a runner might be a bit blinding.

I'll still take that over a**hats honking at me. That crap makes me jump every time.

OK - runner (now a walker) for over 50 years. My new car has LED lights that create a very narrow beam that is pointed... yes... at the road. It is pitch black above that region. So I won't necessarily be able to see you as a runner unless I turned on my high beams.

Old man rant coming... It is these darn new lights that are the problem IMHO.

And I agree that the reflective vest would help a lot.

”Except for blind corners I'll hop up on the sidewalk”. I think you’ve just answered your own question. Sidewalks are for people on foot. If there is a sidewalk, use it, that’s why God invented them. Cycle lanes are for people on bicycles. The people flashing their lights are merely trying to educate you.

I walk my dog around the neighborhood when i get home from work and wear a bright yellow running vest with reflectors all over it. People always hit their high beams when they see me and leave them on.

I guess they just do it because they see something and need the additional light to help identify what is they see.

It's not a flick, but they put them on high and leave them. Annoying AF.

Tonight I was running with my head lamp and yaktrax on my hoka clifton 1's and some people drove by and barked out their window at me like a dog.

Swedeas wrote:

”Except for blind corners I'll hop up on the sidewalk”. I think you’ve just answered your own question. Sidewalks are for people on foot. If there is a sidewalk, use it, that’s why God invented them. Cycle lanes are for people on bicycles. The people flashing their lights are merely trying to educate you.

SideWALKS are for WALKERS. Do you not realize how dangerous the footings on sidewalks are to run on in the dark?

easy solution wrote:

put some pants on

Looking for gay hookup?

Ah you think darkness is your ally? You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but blinding!

It makes sense if they're trying to see you for a sec, but if they don't turn them off they are d*cks.

bane wrote:

Ah you think darkness is your ally? You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but blinding!

If I pull that off, will you die?

I am sure you are all aware how tremendously annoying those bike lights are that blink high LED beams on and off at a rapid rate. It's impossible to look at them as they approach, they are so jarring.

How about getting one, and when an oncoming car turns its highbeams on, you turn on the blinking high frequency LED light? If they turn theirs off, you immediately do the same.

Not to do this as a tit for tat response, but just to signal to them the effect it is having on you.

My bet would be that more than half of the cars would shut their high beams off.

Worth a try for the cost of one, probably not more than $25.

seattle prattle wrote:

I am sure you are all aware how tremendously annoying those bike lights are that blink high LED beams on and off at a rapid rate. It's impossible to look at them as they approach, they are so jarring.

How about getting one, and when an oncoming car turns its highbeams on, you turn on the blinking high frequency LED light? If they turn theirs off, you immediately do the same.

Not to do this as a tit for tat response, but just to signal to them the effect it is having on you.

My bet would be that more than half of the cars would shut their high beams off.

Worth a try for the cost of one, probably not more than $25.

Here is an inexpensive solution for the Big Beta Ivy League boy:

This is going to be fun.

ha aha ha

Eh???????