imo, hand-signals are "better than nothing"

[augidog]

i use hand-signaling by habit...like turning on your blinkers even when there's noone else in sight...and i've been "caught" by the police sitting all by myself at 4-ways with my arm out, so i know they're aware i'm doing my best to keep them from having to save my life or otherwise worry about me out there. i only get friendly waves from our local law & have never been pulled over in 3+ years of riding this area.

hand signals seem to confuse a lot of cagers, tho...some "wave" back, some have mistaken a right-turn gesture and have flipped me off thinking i had just done the same to them...it's pretty funny i guess. the only times i find signaling truly-effective is when the cager's behind me maybe only because they're not sure what i'm up to so they hesitate, or at controlled intersections. it's a toss up most of the time if i'm being understood so i stay on my toes nonetheless, and i never assume anything when my safety's in someone else's hands.

so i've habitualized the practice as "better than nothing" and i'm sure it's helped me avoid at least a few mishaps

[MikeJ]

Hand signals... Smart move!

The only thing that I assume is that if I am not attentive to what is going to happen in five seconds, the cagers will something surprising. Like the time I was between the main lanes and an exit ramp, planning to go straight ahead. Cagers passed me on both the left and right sides simultaneously. Had I swerved to distance myself from either cager, I would have been a target for the other.

So I now avoid heavy volume roads if possible.

MikeJ

[mabman]

Sound advice. Ride defensively at all times!

My personal crusade is to stop at all stop signs and stop lights. Look and listen. But the other day I was stopped at an intersection, fully stopped but without my feet on the ground as I can track stand through most red lights even, and looked down the street, clear, up the street a car was just coming in to the block. Plenty of time, blast off. Was on my way to the bank and stopped fully at two more stop signs that I didn't have any traffic for either way. When I got to the bank and was parking my rig a gentleman walked by mumbling about how he sure will be glad when the bicyclers in this county stop for stop signs like cars have to. I looked up at him and said I am all about stopping at stop signs and he then and there accused me of just now seeing me run two of them! The only thing I can think of was that he was in the car coming down the street at the first stop mentioned and because I launched across the intersection so quickly he must have assumed that I had run it......Some days you just can't win for losing.

The important thing to remember is how we ride and how cagers view us. All they see is a bicycle and gauge their reactions on that. But because we are usually traveling at a higher rate of speed they can miscalculate their actions. This perception may take awhile to change, if ever. So in the meantime wear a helmet, show lights when necessary, signal your intentions and be careful out there.

[SimpleSimon]

Hand signals are an excellent idea, for those with hands. In my case, I have only the right hand - and sticking my left arm out to indicate a left turn is always misunderstood - a stainless steel hook isn't what most expect. Years ago, I was signaling a left turn to an oncoming car, waited till it passed me, and two blocks later had 5 cop cars converging on me, cops piling out, guns in hand. Turns out the oncoming car was an unmarked police car, and the cop driving misunderstood my hand signal as me pointing a pistol at him. It isn't fun having three big cops yank you out of your car while two more hold weapons on you, and getting thrown around.

I did get an apology, amazingly enough. Not, however, before they'd torn my car up looking for my "pistol". Funny thing was, I had a concealed carry permit in my wallet, I just wasn't carrying.

My trike has turn signals (front and rear), headlamp, taillight, and a strobing orange hazard light on as 6 foot fiberglass wand with a flourescent orange flag on the end. I am going to make an LED turn signal vest as well, from a flourescent lime green highway workers vest. Basically, if someone doesn't see me, they are blind.

[professor]

I just read Augi's Mark Twain signture- very funny.
I also hand signal when other drives are around me, pedestrians too. No surprises makes things safer.
And if you stick your thumb out on making right turns, you will not be taken for giving someone the bird.

[seanhan]

When you hand signal, Some of them don't have a clue what the heck you are doing... I remember in 1978 when I got my D/L the trooper made me use hand signals for a few turns just to make sure I really read the book !!! ( that was so long ago the book was written in stone )

Now I don't know if they even teach them ????
Oh well at least it does get there attention, guess thats the point...

Just hope some psycho road rage type doesen't get the wrong idea !!!

[MikeJ]

Hey Simon -

And others who like to be seen at night. Check out the vests at:

http://www.ledtronics.com/Products/P...px?WP=C666K649

One of them is on my "to get soon" list.

MikeJ

[azbill]

I ride like I am invisible (I always assume they don't see me)
I also always use hand signals
(a very good habit I forced my self to do because of the trailer/grandkids)
I have had the same people 'wave' at an intersection for 2 yrs of taking the 6yr old to school every morning...
jeez, you'd think they woulda caught the play by now !!!

ps...it is a very good idea have a safety forum

[RdKryton]

I have a chartreuse safety vest I wear on some work sites. I think I will start wearing it while riding. I will be hard to miss me with that on. A 300lb man wearing a blinding chartreuse vest on a motored bike will be quite a site.
A helmet goes without saying. I used to think it was cool to not wear a helmet but take a look a Gary Busey and you will see a great reason to wear one. He is a total nut case now since he cracked his head in a motorcycle accident and actually lucky to still be alive..
I approach every intersection like someone is going to run the stop sign or traffic light. Keep your head on a swivel and never assume that just because someone has their turn signal on that they are actually going to turn.
I still ride just wearing sneakers and I know that's bad. I broke three toes years ago while riding my dirt bike because I didn't have boots on. Lets hear more of the things you do to keep yourself safe. The more good info we get out here the better off we will all be and it will show the police we take safety very seriously. It actually could make the difference between getting a ticket and possibly having them look the other way when it comes to the legality of your motored bike.
I know KilroyCD has had good luck with his local police because he rides smart. It could work for you too.

[Stan4d]

I learned the hand signals when I got my license. That was in 83. Sad thing is my Mom did not have a clue what they were...neither did alot of people who had not been through their first test in a while. I have actually seen people use their right arm extended when turning right. The ones on regular Bikes it kinda made sense. The elderly woman doing it in her Buick because she lost her tail lights was kinda disturbing.

I have a chartreuse safety vest I wear on some work sites. I think I will start wearing it while riding. I will be hard to miss me with that on.

I agree...I have 2 of the bright orange ones and one chartruese (or what I was raised to call sun yellow) vests that I plan to wear when I ride out of the neighborhood.