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Reviving the Lost Art of Hand Signals: Essential Driving Skills for Every Motorist

Reviving the Lost Art of Hand Signals: Essential Driving Skills for Every Motorist

In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show Aug 07, 2024 4 min
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About this episode

Hand signals are a crucial yet often overlooked skill for drivers, cyclists, and motorcyclists. This episode revisits the basics of hand signaling, detailing the correct gestures for left turns, right turns, and stopping. The hosts share personal anecdotes and emphasize the importance of these signals, especially when turn signals or brake lights fail. They also discuss the challenges of using hand signals at night and the relevance of these techniques for all road users. A light-hearted banter adds to the informative nature of the discussion.

Topics: hand signals driving skills safety tips turn signals bicycle signals motorcycle signals
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I don't know about you.
Welcome back to the In Real Time Car Talk Show.
By the way, I don't know about you, but way back in the day, when I took driver's ed, one of the things that we had to learn was we had to learn hand signals.
You did, but I already knew them because I had to take a tip.
Just go with this.
Okay, I had to take a test for a bicycle license, which was kind of stupid, but I had to go there and take the test.
You know road rules.
Basically, it was a driving test for riding your bike on the street.
This is way back when yeah, way back, and one of the things was you had to learn your hand signals.
I don't even know if kids know what a hand signal is other than the middle finger.
Cars, bikes and motorcycles have hand signals.
Yeah, and what happens when you need a hand signal?
What do you do?
Well, there's actually three, technically four, but there's three that we use all the time.
So blinker, failure, turn signal, stop working To make a lane change or signal your intentions to turn.
Your arm first has to start out.
Hold that right there.
It has to start out the window For a left turn.
Don your hand signal simply stick your arm out the window straight, keep it parallel to the ground with your palm facing downward.
That's the left turn For the right one.
Now you're looking at this from behind Right, right Okay.
Right, just want to make sure, because you're not going to signal a guy in front of you.
I'm just saying, because that picture is confusing Well it's Go ahead.
I think it's a Nissan.
It's fine For the right turn a hand signal.
The elbow should be bent at a 90-degree angle so that your your fingers are toward the sky, your palm is facing forward and your forearm is perpendicular to the ground.
Although this is difficult to do if you're trying to go to the right with a car, it's over there.
It's kind of hard to see, so just be careful.
Look over your shoulder.
So what happens when your brake lights go out?
If your brake lights and your turn signals are temporarily inoperable, you know the correct hand signals.
You can continue to operate your vehicle to a safe place.
You may also need to know these.
Like Don said in a test, the signal for slowing down or stopping should be used in the event of brake or light failure.
The driver's left arm is extended out the window, the elbow is bent down this time, palm facing backwards and your index fingers toward the ground.
So that means you're going to slow down or stop.
It's important to note that these signals are difficult to use at night, so be careful when driving at night.
They may not always see you, so be careful of that.
Cyclists and motorcycles, like we talked about, may have.
They can use a right or the left side, so it doesn't matter to them because their body is open on that particular vehicle.
Signaling to the right turn means stick your arm out right to the left is out left, and these are all part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration signals and the guides that they produce for motorcycles and bicyclists.
So the same thing.
Let's review, let's do a final thought on this.
I like the girl that's screaming here with her right hand out the window.
I know so what do you do?
The girl that's screaming here with the right hand?
No, I know.
Uh, the final thought on this is to bend your left arm down.
I'm sorry, take that back.
The left arm out the window, bent down the palm facing behind you to slow or stop.
Left arm out extended straight out the window, parallel to the ground, with your palm facing downward for a left lane change.
Left arm out the window, window bent up at a 90-degree angle is a right turn.
And, of course, cyclists and motorcyclists you all have your workings to make safe lane changes.
Look at that.
That's my favorite, right there.
I use that one a lot.
I use that a lot.
Mine's usually just one finger Forget about it, forget about it.
One finger pointing the direction you're going, that's right.
Yeah, you stay out of this, morris, because we know that you bring nothing good to the table.
when it comes to hand signals, he's got to put down his brown water.
All right Time now on the.

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