MOST drivers will be initially outraged at the police threat to lie in wait near speed traps to catch anyone flashing their headlights to warn other motorists.

It highlights a certain Smokey and the Bandit spirit whereby we don’t always see the laws of the road as necessarily applicable as our other laws.

Tipping off another motorist that the police are just around the corner is almost seen as a decent turn.

But ultimately, people who speed are breaking the law. Apologists will dispute this, but the faster you go, the less time you have to react and the bigger mess you’re likely to make if you are forced to brake.

We were quick enough to condemn Thames Valley Police when they effectively abandoned their responsibility towards speed enforcement because Oxfordshire County Council decided to stop picking up the bill.

These crackdowns are carried out by the police for valid reasons and thwarting them by tipping off other motorists is really no different to turning a blind eye when a burglar is kicking in the door of your local corner shop.