The Chainlink

"Hey! That's not a turn signal, dummy!"

Going to work today, a driver coming toward me yelled the following at me when I signaled a right turn (I prefer right arm straight out) off Main on to Sherman:

Driver: Hey! That's not a turn signal, dummy! (And then he put his left arm up in the other right turn signal)
Me: Both are acceptable.
Driver: It's not a turn signal.
Me: Yes it is.

N.B. my right turn wasn't going across a lane of traffic, westbound right turn to northbound.

Anyway, I rode away laughing at the exchange. At least the guy was alert enough to see me. But can anything really be done to make sure motorists understand all hand signals? Or is it something that can only be left to exchanges like the above and hopefully the party being corrected will look for more info?

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Permalink Reply by igz on August 20, 2009 at 1:45pm
Yeah, if you offered the other signal, another driver may have well said the same thing. is it time they develop turn signal lights for bikes??
Permalink Reply by Duppie on August 20, 2009 at 1:55pm
iggi said:
is it time they develop turn signal lights for bikes??

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11860
Permalink Reply by igz on August 20, 2009 at 1:57pm
funny thing is...im not completely against them. takes away from the minimalism of my bike which i admire so much...but hey..

Duppie said:
iggi said:
is it time they develop turn signal lights for bikes??

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11860
Permalink Reply by Ryan L on August 20, 2009 at 2:10pm
Does anyone recall if the IL Drivers test includes anything at all about how to interpret hand signals and/or how to share the road with a bicycle? I'm pretty sure it doesn't. There is rule after rule on how to deal with other motorized vehicles, lights and signs and sometimes pedestrians, but nothing about bicycles. I could be wrong. I'm actually looking for my old driving test booklet but I doubt I still have it from 10 years ago. I would imagine it would be on the internet by now.

I've gotten in the habit lately where instead of using actual hand signals that I feel most drivers can't interpret anyway, I simply point at my head then point in the direction I am about to go in or I'll make 3 or 4 gestures with my hand as to where I want to go. I feel like Babe Ruth every time :)
Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on August 20, 2009 at 2:35pm
Behold! it is possible for the law to recognize that bicycles are a different class of vehicles and can be treated accordingly!
Full Text of Public Act 095-0231

So you could print that out and hand it to your cab-driver. But it does not seem practical.
Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on August 20, 2009 at 2:41pm
One of the problems I came across while seeing if I was actually in the wrong was conflicting info.

IL State Police says arm up for signaling a right turn.

City of Chicago says right arm out(p13) for signaling a right turn.

And Evanston has no posted signaling rules! So...excuse the confused look on my face.

Ryan L said:
Does anyone recall if the IL Drivers test includes anything at all about how to interpret hand signals and/or how to share the road with a bicycle? I'm pretty sure it doesn't. There is rule after rule on how to deal with other motorized vehicles, lights and signs and sometimes pedestrians, but nothing about bicycles. I could be wrong. I'm actually looking for my old driving test booklet but I doubt I still have it from 10 years ago. I would imagine it would be on the internet by now.

I've gotten in the habit lately where instead of using actual hand signals that I feel most drivers can't interpret anyway, I simply point at my head then point in the direction I am about to go in or I'll make 3 or 4 gestures with my hand as to where I want to go. I feel like Babe Ruth every time :)
Permalink Reply by igz on August 20, 2009 at 2:43pm
Great find, Tony

to make it easier, i copy/pasted...

All signals herein required given by hand and arm shall be
given from the left side of the vehicle in the following manner
and such signals shall indicate as follows:
1. Left turn - Hand and arm extended horizontally.
2. Right turn - Hand and arm extended upward, except that a
person operating a bicycle may extend the right hand and arm
horizontally and to the right side of the bicycle.
3. Stop or decrease of speed - Hand and arm extended
downward.
Permalink Reply by Mark Kenseth on August 20, 2009 at 4:37pm
to my understanding, chicago recenlty accepted the 'right arm straight out' signal. so just keep telling 'em how it is. get one of those little rule books and give it to anyone who disputs it. i'm hoping your yeller was smart enough to look it up and say, 'oh, it is acceptable.'

i love the straigt arms signaling. people can see them better, interpret them easier, and you can wave without being interpreted wrong. :)
Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on August 20, 2009 at 6:04pm
Brian Kennedy said:
Ryan, I'm just stunned that you encountered a motorist who knew bike signs.
BURN!

Wow, I haven't been called a "dummy" since like 3rd grade.

LOL
Permalink Reply by mindfrieze on August 20, 2009 at 7:35pm
If the guy recognized your signal well enough to criticize you for doing it wrong, then I'd say you were doing it right. The whole point of the signal is to indicate your intended action. If you could wiggle your right ear and have everyone understand your intention to turn right, than that seems good to me too.

Also, the only reason we were taught to point up when turning right is because these signals were designed to be made from inside a car. It would make more sense and be more intuitive to just point in the direction you're going, but then no one would be able to see your right arm, so instead we point over the roof with the left arm.

Doing it the car way when you're on a bike just seems foolish to me, especially when Illinois law now allows you to do it the right way.
Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on August 21, 2009 at 2:20am
I've never heard of the hand signals being designed to be used inside a car. I always thought that you signaled with your left arm so drivers could see you more easily. (It was just a few months ago that I learned that right arm out is a legal way to signal a right turn.)

I'd be interested in any historical evidence of in-car signaling.

mindfrieze said:
If the guy recognized your signal well enough to criticize you for doing it wrong, then I'd say you were doing it right. The whole point of the signal is to indicate your intended action. If you could wiggle your right ear and have everyone understand your intention to turn right, than that seems good to me too.

Also, the only reason we were taught to point up when turning right is because these signals were designed to be made from inside a car. It would make more sense and be more intuitive to just point in the direction you're going, but then no one would be able to see your right arm, so instead we point over the roof with the left arm.

Doing it the car way when you're on a bike just seems foolish to me, especially when Illinois law now allows you to do it the right way.
Permalink Reply by mike w. on August 21, 2009 at 12:40pm
If only more drivers would learn to signal their turns...

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