Club Members Using Obsolete Turn Signals
(Dear Club Members, In the July 2012 edition of _Road Bike Action Magazine_ a cyclist complained of being stopped for not signalling properly. Turns out he was using an outdated signal that many of us in the club continue to favor. This is my response to RBA. Our newsletter gets a smaller readership than the emails, and I thought this of enough general interest to publish it in both mediums.)
Dear Editor,
While the officer in question in Mr. Hubb's letter (July RBA) was undoubtedly in the wrong, the rider may have confused him by using an archaic but legal signal. The rider probably was pointing his left hand toward the sky while keeping his upper arm parallel to the ground. Younger drivers (under forty) and drivers who did not take Driver's Ed. courses (more and more rare in our schools) will not recognize the left hand as an appropriate right turn signal. That's why the officer said "point to the road you're turning to." A Wiki search for "Hand Signals" brings up the uniform code signal options.
The U. S. Uniform Vehicle Code allows for both the upraised/L-shaped right hand turn signal and the "right arm pointing to the right" signal. But really the left hand signal is for someone in a vehicle with no tail lights where the right hand is not visible.
As to whether "drivers are required to know" where you are going, I'm going to strongly disagree with Mr. Hubb. Whether required or not in your location, you should always let drivers know what you are doing.
I do hope you will print this as either an article or a letter as it can save lives and correct a common error we make on the road.
Keep the Rubber Side Down,
James Thompson
Advocacy Director
Gainesville Cycling Club
Co-Founder BikeGainesville.org