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

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on August 21, 2009 at 12:55pm

I'm going to go with interpretive dance.

h3 said:

I'll try to track down a reference, but I thought this was common knowledge (at what point did cars get turn signals-- 30s? 40s?).
Update-- no real "historical reference" out there, but think about it-- how would a driver signal a turn before cars had turn signals?

Tank-Ridin' Ryan said:

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.

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Permalink Reply by heather s on August 21, 2009 at 1:08pm

When I was in drivers ed (late 90s), we were taught the hand signals. I think the idea was that the lights on your proper signals could fail, or something.

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Permalink Reply by mattbikes1 on August 24, 2009 at 9:57pm

I took my road test for my license in a car that had a blinker out. I had to use hand signals for the whole test. That was in '92 or so. I think most people don't know signals these days. I have yet, when I have been driving that is, to see someone driving with their headlights off at night recognize the flashing of brights as the classic "turn on your lights you idiot it is night time" signal. Oh well. I propose everyone go back to driver's ed to be reissued a new license after taking a retooled and ramped of written and driving test. Chicago drivers generally have very little skill.

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Permalink Reply by Dottie on August 25, 2009 at 9:54am

Wow, I can't believe a driver would care so much about which turn signal you use. Usually if a driver yells at me, it's to get off the road. The right-arm-straight-out certainly is a turn signal and is identified as such on Chicago's bike map. I don't understand why anyone would get so riled up about the differences between these two signals, but my co-blogger recently posted about it and got 80 comments. Who knew.

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Permalink Reply by David Travis on August 25, 2009 at 5:55pm

I once had a 1931 Model A Sedan and only one tail light was required. It was street legal in the 1960s. Thus, the need for arm signals for turning. Truly hard to see that any "in car" right-hand turn signal in these vehicles being sensible or even visible. I doubt they ever existed. Driving the A always required arm turn signals, summer or winter. If you google (image) 1932 Chevrolet, the stock cars show two tail lights and thus the possibility for electric turn signals. Automobile restorers would know this history for certain. Perhaps the law is still necessary for the Amish buggy still on Iowa highways. I saw at least one yesterday.

h3 said:

I'll try to track down a reference, but I thought this was common knowledge (at what point did cars get turn signals-- 30s? 40s?).
Update-- no real "historical reference" out there, but think about it-- how would a driver signal a turn before cars had turn signals?

Tank-Ridin' Ryan said:

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.

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Permalink Reply by David Travis on August 25, 2009 at 6:18pm

The first electric turn signal seems to have appeared on the 1938 Buick. This site (promoting their own invention for signaling turns) explains a bit of the history:
http://www.rlpengineering.com/history.htm


h3 said:

I'll try to track down a reference, but I thought this was common knowledge (at what point did cars get turn signals-- 30s? 40s?).
Update-- no real "historical reference" out there, but think about it-- how would a driver signal a turn before cars had turn signals?

Tank-Ridin' Ryan said:

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.

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on August 25, 2009 at 6:20pm

mindfrieze said:

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.

I guess Chicago must not be located in Illinois?: http://www.cityofchicago.org/Transportation/bikemap/communicating.html

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