Turn signals, or the lack of using them, might be the most
maligned part of driving. The turn signal stalk is on the left side of the
steering wheel column, ready to be pushed down, or pulled up, to indicate whichever
turn the driver plans to complete. Yet we all know that there are many, many
people who don’t touch that turn signal stalk to indicate a turn, either
because they don’t think of it, or they are too busy being on their phone or
being distracted in a myriad of ways. Be that as it may, there are situations
where a driver has to use a turn signal, but not the electronic ones that came
with their car. This article will tell you when to use hand signals to indicate
what you are doing while driving.
The picture above shows the three types of hand signal. An
arm pointed straight out indicates a left turn. An arm hooked up at the elbow
indicates a right turn. And finally, an arm hooked down at the elbow indicates
slowing or stopping.
Now that the signals are known, when would you ever have to
use them? Well the first situation would be if there was ever a time when the
electronics in your car stopped working. I have heard of older cars having
short circuits in their electrical system, meaning that neither the headlights nor
the taillights worked at all. In this instance, the only way to indicate your
turn or slowing is to use hand signals. It is a rare occurrence, but it does
occur, which is why almost every state driving manual in the U.S. has a section
on hand signals. You won’t always need them, but you need to know what they
are, and how to use them.
Other situations where you might need hand signals? Let’s
say you are towing a trailer, a trailer without lights, or a trailer in which
the lights are broken or the wiring harness is not in good enough shape to
mount to the car. The fact that you shouldn’t use a trailer in this condition
should go without saying, but we all know that there are many people would
still take a trailer like this, so let’s talk about it.
Say the trailer blocks the taillights on the car or truck
that is towing it. The only way you’d have to let someone know behind you that
you were turning or slowing is to use hand signals. And don’t think this is a
rare thing. I remember my first year working midnight shift for GM, back in
1996. I was driving to the proving grounds at around 11 PM. I was going
probably 50 M.P.H. (the speed limit on that road), or maybe a bit more than
that, and was thinking of nothing but getting to work and getting a good
night’s worth of driving in (and getting there before I would be counted late,
which accounts for the driving maybe a bit more than 50!). That is when I saw
the tiniest red glint in front of me, and I realized that it wasn’t moving, so
it was in the road. Once I realized that the red glint was in the road, I had
just enough time to avoid it and keep myself safe. What it was, was a trailer, a
trailer made up of nothing but an axle and some plywood, no lights, no brakes,
no nothing, just a broken reflector on the back. What’s more, this trailer was
wider and taller than the car that was towing it, so the lights of the car were
invisible from behind. Had the reflector not been there, I would likely have
smashed right in to it, as there were no lights anywhere on the road for miles
around, and no lights on the trailer as I said. Had that trailer been being
operated during the day, the driver could have used the slowing or stopping
hand signal to show that he was going slower than the speed limit on that road.
As it was night though, he had nothing, and came very close to causing an
accident, as his headlights were even so dim they were not visible at all from
a good distance behind the car (A car with good working headlights on a pitch
black road will be visible for a good distance from behind the car because of
the wide area that the headlights light up). So yes, people still do hook up trailers
without lights, and trailers that block the car’s lights. Hand signals could
make the difference between life and death for a situation like the one I just
described.
Another situation I experienced while driving for GM should
bring the importance of knowing what hands signals are home, and in this case I
mean recognizing when they are being used, moreso than just being able to use
them. I was driving a minivan, with a trailer on it, right before quitting
time. I was headed back to the proving grounds, ready to head home. I was on a
rural road, south of the proving grounds, and I was behind a ten year old car
or so, filled with a mom and kids. All of a sudden the mom put her arm straight
out from the driver’s side window, and began to slow down. It took me a second
to figure out what she was doing, but then I realized the arm signal for a left
turn, so I immediately took my foot off of the gas, and began to start slowing
down for her. No sooner had I done that, then the dump truck behind me slammed
in to me, and pushed me around her to the left (He went around her to the
right. Thankfully no one in the car was hurt in any way). Had I not recognized
her hand signal, I might have been going much faster when I was hit then I was,
possibly making that accident much worse than it was. In the end, it was a
totaled car, and a sore back for me, nothing more thank God. (In case you'd like more detail, the accident is described in more detail in my blog post: GM Stories: My Worst Accident...By Far).
So hand signals are important to know. Not only do you need
them if you have an electrical problem with your car, or you are towing
something that blocks the taillights of your car from behind, but it is very
important that you be able to recognize when other people are using them, so
that you can take the proper safe action in response to them. Are hand signals
rare things anymore? Absolutely. Does this mean that they aren’t worthy of
study? Absolutely not. Know what your hand signals are. Know why they are used,
and be able to recognize them in use. This will be just another tool in your
safe driving toolbox, one that will keep you safe and able to deal with
differing driving situations when they happen. Until next time…
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