![]() Hand gestures directed toward another driver to insult, threaten or intimidate are best ignored. Good riders always use a hand signal for additional safety. Motorcycle signals are small and difficult to see in the bright sunlight. They are often flashing long after a turn or lane change is completed, giving the wrong information to vehicular and pedestrian traffic alike. Electric signals on most bikes do not cancel automatically. I like it when motorcycle riders use hand signals. When this action is combined with eye contact, it makes a world of difference to pedestrian-driver communication. An extended pedestrian’s arm in the direction of intended travel is welcomed by drivers. Pedestrians who want to cross the road at a crosswalk can help themselves and drivers by giving a hand signal. The right-of-way should only be given, not taken.ĭrivers parked at the side of the road will often gesture to those following to pass by waving them on. They are usually giving the right-of way to another. Many drivers use a wave of the hand to direct activity at an intersection or in a parking lot. I have got the same polite accommodation from other drivers with simple eye contact. ![]() A cab-driver friend of mine would not only use a hand signal when leaving the curb, but vault his torso out the driver window as he made eye contact with the approaching traffic, with the intention of getting them to allow him into the immediate travelled lane. Using a hand signal along with eye contact with another driver or pedestrian is very effective. It alerts drivers behind of a potential danger in the immediate foreground area. Seeing an outstretched arm is indeed out of the ordinary. Pedestrians leaving the curb are sometimes hidden from the view of a driver in that left lane. Professional drivers will often warn others going the same direction in the left lane of a person occupying a pedestrian crosswalk. I have seen many an excellent driver avoid the pending disastrous actions of other drivers by using the arm extension. Two-handed turns are still mandatory on any driving test and are a much safer way to negotiate a turn than a palming action, all too common amongst today’s drivers. Hand signals should be done before but not during the turn. Any time we are reminded of the person behind the wheel of a vehicle, rather than an inanimate object going down the road, it’s a good thing. Vehicle signals are often left on by mistake and do not have the same effect as a hand signal. The arm out the driver’s window means the driver really intends to turn. Hand signals personalize the actions of the driver. ![]() Anyone who has ridden a bicycle knows the necessity of using hand signals to warn others of a change in direction. The same right-angle downward arm motion tells us the driver intends to slow or stop. When the arm is extended at a right angle, upwards out the driver’s window, it means the vehicle will move right. Hand signals are a very effective way to communicate with other drivers, riders and pedestrians.īefore every driving road test, the candidate for a licence must demonstrate their use.Īn outstretched left arm designates an intention to move left. Photograph by: ADRIAN LAM, Times Colonist Hand signals are useful for all users of the road, including drivers and pedestrians, by increasing fellow road users’ knowledge of your intentions. Cyclists signal while crossing the Johnson Street Bridge.
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