This condition is distinguished from a classic migraine in which a headache is a predominant symptom, and the far less common and more serious condition known as a “retinal migraine”. Lenawee St., Lansing, MI, 48919.Popularly referred to as “ophthalmic” or “ocular” migraines, this common condition primarily causes visual symptoms and has the official classification from the International Headache Society of “ancephalgic migraine with aura.” Ancephalgic means that there is no headache and the term aura refers to the visual symptoms experienced. Contact her at 51 or at Write to her at 120 E. Judy Putnam is a columnist with the Lansing State Journal. Wisconsin also has a prohibition on using high beams within 500 feet of oncoming traffic but it specifically exempts the momentary flashing of the lights at a vehicle using its high beams. In light of the Guilford tragedy, it's time for lawmakers to revisit the law.Īllowing the brief flashing of lights, as a courtesy, to remind oncoming drivers to turn down their high beams just makes sense. The state law governing bright lights hasn't been changed since 1954. A portion of the suit challenges whether Michigan's law does indeed prohibit the momentary flashing of high beams. The youth's family filed a civil suit in the death Wednesday. The traffic stop led to a tragic sequence of events that ended with the officer shooting Guilford seven times after the prosecutor said the high school student refused to turn over his identification, resisted arrest then assaulted the officer. ![]() Guilford told the officer that he was blinded by the headlights of the oncoming patrol vehicle. The irony here, of course, is that both the teenager and the sergeant thought the other driver was wrongly using his brights. In the local case, Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd decided that Guilford was stopped legally because it’s a civil infraction to turn on your brights within 500 feet of oncoming traffic. That apparently doesn't negate Michigan's law against brights, however, since the federal court is in a different U.S. The court ruled that the prohibition violated the drivers' First Amendment rights. He said that federal safety standards govern the brightness of lights on vehicles.Īlso complicating the issue is a federal court ruling in Missouri last year that struck down an ordinance prohibiting motorists from flashing other motorists to warn them of a speed trap ahead. Using the high beams within 500 feet, even briefly, violates the code, Flegel said. Jim Flegel, commanding officer of the traffic services division, said a good rule for drivers is to picture the length of two football fields (300 feet each) to roughly estimate 500 feet. Bright lights shining in their rearview mirrors can be distracting." "Do not use high beams when behind other vehicles.A dirty windshield will make headlight glare worse. The glare may blind you for several seconds. Do not look directly into oncoming headlights. "If oncoming drivers do not dim their headlights, keep your eyes on the right edge of the road ahead.Also, dim your lights for pedestrians and cyclists. "It is illegal to use or even flash high-beam headlights within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle.Here’s what the Michigan Secretary of State has to say from the handbook “What Every Driver Must Know.” ![]() It’s a civil infraction if you violate it. Michigan’s motor vehicle code prohibits the use of high-beam lights within 500 feet of an oncoming car. “This whole thing is scary and, I'm almost to the point where I'll risk an accident from someone's accidental brights, rather than give them a quick flash,” the Portland resident wrote.Īll of my driving life, a long time now, I have flashed lights as a courtesy if I think an approaching driver has forgotten to turn down his or her bright lights. She was surprised that doing so could lead to a traffic stop. Like me, a reader from Portland thinks of flashing as a courtesy. ![]() The sergeant told Guilford he did not have his brights on, but told the teen that other motorists had also made the same mistake and flashed him. The sergeant was driving a new patrol car, a Ford Explorer SUV, and the lights Guilford thought were high beams turned out to be the vehicle's regular headlights. His apparent intent was to signal the oncoming driver to turn down what Guilford thought were high-beam lights. 28 for flashing his bright headlights twice at the officer, according to the prosecutor's report. Guilford was stopped by an Eaton County Sheriff’s sergeant Feb. The case highlights an outdated law that should be revisited by lawmakers. LANSING - The civil lawsuit filed over the shooting death of 17-year-old Deven Guilford has stirred questions over flashing your high-beam headlights at oncoming cars.
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