Is Flashing Your Headlights To Warn Drivers of a Speed Trap Illegal in Texas?

This time of year people driving all over the Lone Star State. And while most people of course are going the speed limit, there might be some on occasion who go a little faster than the posted speed limit.

And we've probably all seen this before. You are driving along and all of a sudden someone driving the opposite direction of you flashes their high beams at you. What does it mean? It's one of those universal signs, a warning that police are ahead and they are hunting for speeders. But as nice and friendly as it is, is it actually legal?

Is It Illegal to Flash Your Vehicle Headlights at Drivers to Warn About Police?

This may or may not surprise you, but there is no law on books about flashing your headlights to warn drivers about the presence of police. In other states, there are laws about warning drivers about the presence of police, but in Missouri, that law is being challenged. The ACLU argues that drivers have a 1st Amendment right to warn others.

So is it legal in Texas to flash those headlights? Yes, but hold on.

READ MORE: Can You Legally Sleep In Your Car In Texas?

You Could Be Ticketed for Something Else

As one attorney explains below. While it may be legal to flash your headlights, it is illegal in Texas to light up those high beams within 500 feet of another vehicle.

Chances are, you won't be given a ticket. Just don't be annoying about the flashing of you headlights and you should be fine. Of course with apps like Waze, flashing those headlights might just be a thing of the past.