Headlights flash 'is dangerous'

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."