Florida – A judge ruled that a man who flashed his headlights to warn drivers of a nearby police speed trap was exercising his right to free speech, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Ryan Kintner, 25, of Lake Mary, Florida, was ticketed last August in Seminole County for what police said was a violation of a state traffic law that outlined appropriate headlight use.
Kintner contested the ticket and sued the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office for violating his civil rights, reported the Sentinel.
The circuit judge hearing the case ruled last October that using headlights for communication didn’t fall under the state law.
After a second hearing, the judge took his ruling a step further Tuesday, saying Kintner was protected by his constitutional right to free speech under the First Amendment.
i got ticketed on the NJ 17 South on a motze shabbos for signaling a speed trap…
The ticket was for improper use of Head lights and i paid $72.00 fine..
My civil rights was violated but now i am not such a good person warning others..
Dont speed and dont flash..
Proof that the Police are only interested in collecting money. The more they collect, the more that they can demand. If the purpose was to LOWER speeders, then this was accomplished. As well. the police would target speeders on the highways and NOT down some hill or over a stretch of unpopulated areas. Dangerous accidents occur on highways or from Drunk Drivers. Let police be involved in helping to prevent crimes by walking beats or driving neighbourhoods at night and NOT going entrapping drivers. Chaim….Toronto
I used to flash oncoming traffic about speed traps when I was younger. But I stopped once I started driving for a while and realized that there are a lot of lunatics on the road and innocent people are killed every day because of reckless driving.
To me its like your neighbor in shul is talking middle davening and you warning him, Hey the Gabbe is coming…There is NO need to warn violators..Just dont speed
if flashing the lights makes somebody drive safer, why are the police again$t it?
It may not be against the law, but I do think that it violates halacha to flash your high beams as you are indeed obstructing a scenario whereby the guilty are to be enforced with laws. Either way, I do not think its going to make your day get that much worse, but Hashem does judge all of our guilt and all of our needs.