“In LA and later up here in Oakland, some G-bangers were “initiating” newcomers by driving around with the beams up. When some nice LOL flashed them as a courtesey, they shot them.”
This particular urban myth has been circulating for at least 20 years and it is no more true now than it was when this fable was first concocted. The ability to spread falsehoods like this through the internet has made stuff like this easier to perpetuate, and as a result, many gullible people have fallen for this hokum story.
Whenever I receive an e-mail telling me about the newest computer virus, or the latest health threat, or the latest rumor about a political candidate, or the latest version of this headlight/gang initiation myth, I go to the Snopes website in order to verify it. More often than not, Snopes has already done the research necessary to prove that the story that is circulating is just another urban myth.
For the actual history of this particular urban myth, go to:
I wouldn’t put too much faith in the “brights clicked on” theory. Many cars have a toggle switch that flashes the brights momentarily when the headlights are not on, and also changes the setting between brights and low beams when headlights are on. If the car came in with the lights off, it is more likely that the owner had flashed at someone during the day (once, or some other odd number of times) leaving the lights in high beam mode. Since his headlights were off, he wouldn’t know this had happened because the blue idiot light only comes on when you turn on the headlights. This same driver may be used to this problem and normally clicks the switch again when night comes and he turns on the headlights. By the way, if you ever noticed that people driving European cars (and some Japanese but not Toyota) often flash twice during the daytime, it is to avoid this very issue.
As a valet, you probably work at a high end establishment which, in turn, draws a high end clientele. Stereotypically it’s those same people who buy the afore mentioned BMW " to get noticed " . I think your noticing of this “Brights on” trait is indicative of the genre. ( you’ll pass that psyc class with an A+ ). Here at my ford dealer, the ONLY vehicles to pull into the shop in broad daylight with their brights blarring are Lincolns. Yep , that higher end customer who just feels entitled !
i try to turnmy interior light on and off multiple times thinking the person behind me will get the hint - but so far it has not worked. maybe we can start some kind of “international” sign language that if you see someone in front of you turning their overhead light on and off at least 3-5 times it will be a signal that your brights are on.