Cyclists and motorists alike recognize the majority of these bicycle hand signals.įor your safety and others, learn bike hand signals start using them when on the road. Most of them, however, are fairly self-explanatory. Final Verdict:īike hand signals are not universal around the world. Then, ease off your pedals slightly for them to get the message. How do you let cars know it’s safe to overtake?įor motorists to safely overtake, you can flick your elbow on the side you want them to pass through. You can raise your hand above the head, indicating that you expect an upcoming hazard passing the bike and pointing directly to the road. How do you indicate there is a hazard in the road? These tail lights help indicate that you plan to turn right/left, but we recommend using your hand signals as added safety if these lights fail. But these days you can find many bicycles with a standard turn signal present in the tail light that are California State and DOT legal. Most of the time with cycling hand signals, you use your left arm and hand to signal except when you plan to turn right, depending on the state laws.Ĭan you buy tail light signals for bikes? What hand should you use to do the bike hand signals? While bicycle hand signals are rarely enforced, it is crucial and alerts motorists what you intend to do.Īt all times when you plan to turn left/right, slow down, stop, or want to inform oncoming traffic of obstacles in the road. Yes, as it is compulsory in the United States to let others know what you plan to do. If it is only debris and not a pothole, you can inform others by pointing downwards and waving your hand back/forth or give it a shake in a circular motion from your wrist. You do this by pointing your index finger down and away from the body towards the obstacles when passing by. These obstacles appear suddenly when riding and sometimes are hard to see posing a threat to you.įor this reason, you need to inform oncoming traffic that there are obstacles on the road. On any road, when cycling you find obstacles in your way such as potholes, bumps, rough roads, remnants, and more. Next, start moving your palm up/down while keeping it parallel to the ground, indicating you are slowing down. To do this, point your left arm down and to the side, keeping your palm parallel to the ground. Slowing Down:Īs necessary as informing motorists you are stopping, they also need to know when you are slowing down. As with all the bike hand signals, make sure to do this in plenty of time. To help inform motorists, you plan to stop or slow down, extend your left arm out and bend it down to 90° with the hand open. Stop:Ĭyclists need to use the stop signal, as many bikes do not have a brake light. The other technique extends your left arm to the side and turns your arm up to a 90° angle. However, check with your state first, as some do not allow it. First, a frequently used bike hand signal extends your right arm to your side the same as the left turn. When it comes to the right turn, you have two methods of doing it. Doing this alerts others what your intention is, allowing you to return your arm to your bike. Left Turn:įor signaling a left turn, extend your left arm out to the side and make sure you do this 100 feet before making your turn.
You can then signal again just before a stop or turn. The motorist will get an idea to react and allow you enough time to place your hands back on your handlebars. Try to start signaling at least 100 feet before you plan to stop or turn.
Doing this allows you to know what is happening in your surroundings and helps increase others noticing your signals. When using these signals, make sure to look back and making eye contact with another person on the road, if possible. Cyclist signals allow others to react appropriately.ĥ Bike Hand Signals That You Need to Know:īelow you can find the primary bike hand signals to use. Just as motorists need to learn the road rules, you need to know your bicycle hand signals for safety.Ĭycling hand signals also help when cycling in a group to warn others you plan to slow down, turn, or stop.
The likeliness of becoming part of an accident is less when signaling your intentions. You reduce the risk of injury from a car using cyclist hand signals. Many of these injuries and deaths occurred between the cyclist and motorist because of misunderstandings. In 2019, more than 800 cyclists died on the road in the US, while many others suffered injuries. One of the main reasons to use bike signals is to prevent injuries from happening while cycling. 4 Final Verdict: Why Are Bike Hand Signals Important?
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