About two months after a federal court in Missouri ruled that a driver has a right to flash his or her headlights to warn others of police speed traps, one Ohio legislator has unveiled a bill to codify that protection into Ohio law.
Sponsored by Rep. John Becker, a Republican from Union Township, House Bill 475 opens the road for motorists to signal each other by alternating between low-beam and high-beam headlights.
Becker’s bill states that drivers would be allowed to flash their “brights” to warn fellow motorists of “dangers, hazards, or vehicles of interest that the operators of the oncoming vehicles may be approaching.”
In February, a U.S. district court in Missouri ruled that penalizing drivers who warn each other of speed traps by flashing their headlights is a violation of their First Amendment right to free speech.
A release from Becker’s office stated that the ruling inspired his proposal.
“This bill would protect Ohioans from being prosecuted for sharing valuable information with fellow drivers, such as regarding accidents, deer in the road and speed traps,” Becker said in the release.
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