Driving More Safely by Using Hand Signals
Despite the advancement of technology these days, there are some things that retain because it’s still conventionally effective. Nothing beats an old trick, right? However, in terms of driving, it’s mandatory for us to learn the communications for driving. It is not only required while taking a driving test, but it sure is useful when you encounter problems with your turn signals or brake lights. Knowing the hand signal language can be a lifesaver. You never know what happens. This article is dedicated to those people who are increasingly getting curious about learning the different hand signals for driving. It’s about time you know how to communicate with your hands in case your car is struggling to communicate on its own.
Different hand signal for driving and how to execute them
· Turning left or transferring to the left lane
If in case your left signal is not working, and you have to turn left, you can simply open the window and extend a portion of your left arm. You have to point it at a 180 degrees angle sideways. Your elbow just needs to be neutrally straight and the palm of your hand should be open. Do this hand signal for left turn driving.
· Turning right or transferring to the right lane
Now if you need to turn right or want to transfer to the right lane, all you need to do is open your car window and extend your left arm and angle it at 90 degrees. But this time your hand should be pointing upward and the elbow is bent. The palm of your hand should be pointed forward.
· Stopping or slowing down
When you need to stop your car or your plant to slow down, but your taillight or signal lights are not working, you should then open the car window and show some hand signal. Just angle your hands 90 degrees downwards. And your hand should be pointed downwards, while the elbow should be bent. The palm of your hand should be pointed behind you.
· Getting admission to pass
Finally, if you are driving and you want to get admission to pass, open your car window and place your hand in a 90 degrees angle with your hand pointing up. Your elbow should be bent too. And after that, move your arm in a steady clockwise movement. Do this driver hand signal and you’ll have no problems with passing a different car.
Why learning hand signals is important
Primarily and practically, these hand signals for driving is actually included in the driving licensure written exam. So as much as you need to learn it because you might need to execute them one day, it is actually required that you have basic knowledge about them. Otherwise, you might not pass the driver’s license exam. And that just sucks. You need to retake over again. You need to file another application and have a slot reserved for you. The process gets tedious and before you know it, you might have to give up driving altogether. That shouldn’t be the case though. So try to learn these basic hand signals so you can pass that exam in a heartbeat.
When do we need to use hand signals?
· When sunlight obscures the car’s lights
In certain events where you can’t depend on your signal lights or taillights, using hand signals can pretty much come in handy. However, there might be more cases where you can apply these hand gestures as well. One would be when the sun is obscuring your vehicle’s turning lights. Driving under the extremely sunny weather could be overpowering for the lights produced by some cars. Drivers may have a chance not to see your signals clearly. Most especially, motorists may not notice them as they are the ones who are under the sun too. Their visuals might also be influenced by extreme sunlight. So when this unavoidable situation happens, then it’s a great time to put your hand signal education at use.
· When you’re stuck in a traffic jam and every car is bumper to bumper
This happens a whole lot than you could imagine, especially if you leave in a congested city and you go to work on peak hours. Driver hand signals are perfect to use in these conditions. There are a lot of vehicles lining up to reach their turn to go somewhere, and some cars may no longer see your turning lights as well. In most cases, you have to communicate through the driver’s hand signal language. Some people who drive motorcycles would try to overpass and may also fail to see signals, so it’s extremely important to communicate with them too.
· When your signal lights are malfunctioning and out of order
Ultimately, in an unfortunate situation where your lights malfunctions and you’re out driving, then you have no other options but to communicate through hand signals. It is of course very dangerous to go out driving with your lights out, but if it did happen in the middle of the way to somewhere then it’s safer to open your window and go driving hand signals everywhere. It may not only protect you from having some accidents but other drivers will also be able to understand you.
These hand signals provided in this article are standard across the US. And although it is no longer very common to use these days, some people still do. Some cyclists still use it and they are actually making more hand signals than car drivers do. But these hand signals are the basic ones and the cyclists could also understand them on their end. This may be the point of contact for everyone driving. In conclusion, getting yourself educated is very important to contribute to the overall safety of everyone driving.
If you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: info@zemotor.com
