There is an unspoken camaraderie on the highway. It exists among people who are in the habit of exceeding the speed limit.

The brotherhood involves people who think they are doing others a favor by flashing their headlights to advise them to slow down because there is a cop in the area.

It seems innocent enough. It can help another motorist avoid a ticket for speeding. Actually, there is sometimes a dark side involved. The Arizona Department of Public Safety is aware of motorists flashing their lights to warn of a patrolman’s presence. Unlike many motorists, DPS does not see headlight flashing as an innocent activity. In fact, it is illegal. It says so in Arizona Revised Statute 28-947.C.

It is also a fact DPS officers are citing anyone they see illegally flashing their headlights to warn of an officer’s presence.

“The tactic often allows a motorist who is violating the law to change his behavior for a short time while passing a police officer,” DPS Sgt. Dan Long said of headlight flashing. “Many times, this motorist then resumes his illegal or unsafe driving.”

Long said, “The burning question is whether it is better to let violating motorists get caught and contacted by law enforcement or allowed to bypass the officer and continue to be a hazard to themselves or possibly to other motorists.”

Food for thought is the fact wanted felons and other dangerous individuals are quite often caught when stopped for something as seemingly innocuous as a broken taillight, license plate light or for speeding.

“People flashing their headlights to warn other motorists about our presence may be aiding a wanted felon or someone transporting drugs to avoid detection,” one DPS officer said.

A point in case is a seemingly routine traffic stop in Morenci. It involved a Jeeps being stopped for speeding and led to the discovery by Clifton Police of more than three pounds of hallucinogenic mushrooms, marijuana and a large stash of cash.

The stop might not have occurred if another motorist had flashed his headlights warning the Jeep’s driver of officers’ presence in the area.

Seeing speeders is common on U.S. Highway 191 from Morenci and Clifton to Safford, 45 miles distant. Speeding has become more commonplace with the influx of new employees and contractor workers commuting between Safford and the FMI copper mine in Morenci.

Speeding is prevalent between Clifton and Safford on a section of U.S. 191 known as “the Stretch.” Pickup trucks belonging to contractors working at the Morenci mine seem to be among the worst offenders. Perhaps it is because the individuals driving those trucks do not have to pay for gas.

According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, an estimated 6,800 vehicles pass daily through Clifton, through which vehicles must pass to reach Morenci. Most of that is mine-related traffic, and a great deal of it consists of commuters from Graham County.

The nearly 7,000-vehicle figure counted by ADOT does not include the increase of traffic resulting from increased activity at the mine. Although no one yet has any firm figures on the traffic increase in Graham and Greenlee, it is safe to say it has increaed significantly.

Having more DPS officers on patrol would seem the logical way to deal with more traffic and more speeders, but the money to pay for more officers is in the hands of the Arizona State Legislature, not DPS.

In the meantime, the public can do its part in making roads safer by not speeding and by motorists not flashing their lights to warn of a patrolman’s presence. Keep in mind that by doing so, you may be giving a wanted felon a break he does not deserve.