Headlights flash 'is dangerous'
Gendarmes say alerting fellow drivers to roadside check could put lives at risk by helping criminals avoid being caught
DRIVERS who flash their headlights to warn oncoming cars of a speed check could be putting lives at risk and helping criminals, gendarmes have warned.
Their message comes after an incident in Normandy last week, where gendarmes were close to catching a gang of burglars by a road side, but the thieves escaped by doing a U-turn when other drivers alerted them with their lights.
The Gendarmerie Nationale says that "helping" other drivers avoid a speeding fine could also help child abductors and other dangerous criminals avoid being caught.
An information video shows the scenario of a man with an abducted child in the back of his car, who does a quick U-turn when well-meaning drivers flash their lights at him.
The Gendarmerie Nationale posted on Facebook: "Gendarmes are not just there to issue fines - they are there above all to ensure people's safety, help finding missing people and catch criminals."
