What is the purpose of hazard lights?

Hazard lights serve a crucial function in road safety by allowing drivers to alert others to their presence, especially when you are stopped or in a situation where your vehicle poses a potential hazard. When activated, these lights flash simultaneously, making it clear to surrounding drivers that there is an unusual condition that requires caution, such as a vehicle breakdown, a driver temporarily stopping on the side of the road, or other situations where safety may be compromised.

Using hazard lights communicates to other road users that they should exercise caution and potentially adjust their driving behavior, thus reducing the risk of accidents. While signaling emergency vehicles or indicating illegal parking scenarios require different signals such as standard turn signals or police-directed signals, hazard lights specifically indicate a temporary stop or a hazardous condition related to the vehicle itself. The idea of using hazard lights to appear stylish while driving does not fulfil any practical safety function and is not aligned with their intended use.