A driver who flashed his lights at an approaching vehicle to warn of a potential police speed trap is facing charges after it turned out that vehicle was an unmarked police cruiser.
At around 3:50 p.m. on Wednesday (March 18), a Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer was parked in a marked cruiser off Oak Ridges Drive in the Township of Hamilton. A second OPP officer who was travelling on the same road in an unmarked cruiser was approached by an oncoming pick-up truck whose driver flashed their headlights.
The OPP officer pulled over the driver and, after speaking with him, began an impaired operation investigation. An open container of liquor was found inside the vehicle and the driver, who refused an impaired driving test, was taken into custody.
As a result, a 50-year-old Lindsay man was charged with failure or refusal to comply with demand, failure to use low beams, and driving a motor vehicle with an open container of liquor.
As a result of the first charge, his driver’s licence was suspended for 90 days and his vehicle was impounded for seven days. Failing to provide a suitable sample of breath or blood upon an officer’s demand carries the same consequences as an operation while impaired charge.
The accused man is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Cobourg in April.
While flashing lights at oncoming drivers to warn them of police speed enforcement is not illegal, it is a violation of the Highway Traffic Act to use high beams within 150 metres of an oncoming vehicle — and police say it’s just not a good idea.
“We would like to remind the public that intentionally flashing headlights to alert other motorists to upcoming police presence can interfere with ongoing investigations and compromise public safety,” states a media release from Northumberland OPP.
“Such actions may unintentionally warn impaired drivers, suspended drivers, individuals operating unsafe vehicles, or persons involved in criminal activity. It may also hinder police responses to time-sensitive matters such as Amber Alerts.”
