How to signal a right turn?

[wheelswings]

It’s a great question. Personally I’m in the outstretched-right-arm camp. The perpendicular left arm strikes me as old school, and many people are clueless as to what it means.

I think the hand signals are a relic from drivers’ education, all involving the left arm ‘cause the car driver can’t do the outstretched right arm from their car window. It’s good to know those signals and to be ready to use them in the unlikely event that your turn signals or brake lights stop working when you’re driving a car.

But on the bike, I use the outstretched right arm ‘cause it seems to be more universally understood.

[SWDC]

Thanks, that all makes sense.
Maybe I’ll try both at the same time

[ebubar]

I use the bent left arm too. And I’m not particularly old school…or maybe I am and just didn’t know!

[SWDC]

great to know I am not the only one!

[Steve O]

@SWDC 113912 wrote:

I am in my 50s. When I learned to bike many decades ago, I was taught to signal a right turn by using my left arm at a 90-degree angle. I imagine this was probably because most bikes were being ridden on the right side of the road and car drivers could more easily see your left arm (and/or because most people/bikers are right-handed). I now notice that many bikers are using their right arm straight out to signal a right turn. This may make sense when one is riding in a bike lane and the people you want to see your signal are bikers behind you, not cars. I am still using the left arm at 90-degree angle signal, but I worry that no one has any clue what it means. Is there a current preferred right-turn signal?

Thanks

In our bike classes (I’m a WABA instructor) we teach both left arm turned up and right arm outstretched. We encourage riders to use the right arm outstretched as the preferred, because it is unambiguous. I encourage you to do the same.

[SWDC]

@Steve O 113920 wrote:

In our bike classes (I’m a WABA instructor) we teach both left arm turned up and right arm outstretched. We encourage riders to use the right arm outstretched as the preferred, because it is unambiguous. I encourage you to do the same.

Thank you, Steve O! That is very helpful to know. I am curious; why do you teach both if one is preferred?

[mstone]

left arm turned up is essential for proper use of the universal finger of disdain

right arm is for signalling a right turn

[Steve O]

@SWDC 113923 wrote:

Thank you, Steve O! That is very helpful to know. I am curious; why do you teach both if one is preferred?

Because it is still a legal way to indicate a right turn. And some people use it, so we want our students to know what it means. Also, if for some reason you need your right hand to control your bike, that option is still available.

Importantly, however, is that if you need both hands to control your bike (e.g., a steep downhill where you need both brakes), controlling the bike takes precedence over signalling. Which is sometimes learned the hard way.

[Starduster]

Another reason for the “left arm upraised”- That rule was written with cars in mind. Unless you’re tooling around here with a British right hand drive car, your right arm isn’t very visible. And on a motorcycle, your right hand controls the throttle. Sorta need it for that.

For the record, when I ride, I prefer the right hand pointing that way.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Starduster 113927 wrote:

your right arm isn’t very visible.

I prefer the right-hand point, but this is why I tend to use the traditional left-arm up. Unless cars are directly behind you, there’s a chance they may not be able to see your outstretched right hand. Also, on my fixed gear bikes, my front brake is on the right side, which makes it more important to leave my right hand on the bars.

[mstone]

@TwoWheelsDC 113928 wrote:

I prefer the right-hand point, but this is why I tend to use the traditional left-arm up. Unless cars are directly behind you, there’s a chance they may not be able to see your outstretched right hand. Also, on my fixed gear bikes, my front brake is on the right side, which makes it more important to leave my right hand on the bars.

Note that a car on your left not seeing you signal a right turn is less important than a car behind you or on your right not seeing you signal a right turn.

[Dickie]

Even though I’m British, old(er), and proper (ahem), I stopped using the left hand method long ago and adopted the right hand point. Like many I feel that it is more universally understood, plus most of the time the cars on my left or passing me are not effected much by my right turn, however the cars, cyclists or peds I am approaching need to know my intentions, and my right arm outstretched is easier for them to see.

[hozn]

@TwoWheelsDC 113928 wrote:

my front brake is on the right side, which makes it more important to leave my right hand on the bars.

My favorite thing about this FG thing is how gracefully function yields to form.

I’m not really judging, just chuckling. I’ve done far dumber things to “be cool”.

[Greenbelt]

I’m a fan of the “safety swerve,” the nod or elbow flick (for signaling, not to take a pull), and finger points, rather than taking a hand off the bar.

As I’ve gotten older and more unbalanced, I do like to keep both hands on the tiller, and I have a friend who crashed likely due to over signaling (taking a hand off to signal and then not being able to keep it together on some gravel). Safety swerve probably most iffy as a tactic, but when it’s safe, I will sometimes swing out into the left side of the lane and back just to remind nearby drivers that I’m unpredictable.

[jabberwocky]

Right hand straight out. I experimented with both when I started riding on the roads, but quickly figured out that most people have no idea what the left hand up signal means. The right hand out one is much more readily recognized IME.

[Author]

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