May 24, 2012 11:04AM # Judge: Flashing Headlights To Warn of Speed Trap Is Protected Speech By [Walter Olson](https://www.cato.org/people/walter-olson) --- SHARE Florida cops have [made](http://overlawyered.com/2011/09/ticketing-drivers-for-flashing-lights-near-speed-traps/) a [practice](http://overlawyered.com/2011/09/update-florida-suspends-ticketing-for-speed-trap-light-flashing/) of ticketing drivers who warn others about speed traps by flashing their lights, despite uncertainty as to whether state law actually does prohibit such flashing. Now a judge in Sanford, Fla. has ruled that Ryan Kintner of Lake Mary not only was within his rights under state law when he flashed his headlights, but was engaging in speech protected by the First Amendment. \[[Orlando Sentinel](http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-05-22/news/os-flashing-headlights-ruling-20120522_1_ryan-kintner-free-speech-headlights); cross-posted from [Overlawyered](http://overlawyered.com/2012/05/judge-flashing-headlights-to-warn-of-speed-trap-is-protected-speech/)\] ##### Related Tags [General](https://www.cato.org/general), [Constitutional Law](https://www.cato.org/constitutional-law), [Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies](https://www.cato.org/robert-levy-center-constitutional-studies) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).