Hand Signals for Safe Driving: A Comprehensive Guide

Infographic credit: AAA Northern California

If your car is, oh, less than a century old and kept in good working order, it is almost surely equipped with lights at all corners and at the front and rear to ensure that your fellow motorists are aware of what you’re doing behind the wheel. This being the case, you may think that the hand signals you were taught in driver’s ed class — before you ask, no, we’re not talking about that hand signal — are antiquated and have no place on modern roadways. But that’s not entirely true.

You may notice a turn signal or brake light bulb has gone out on your car, or you could return to your car in the parking lot to find that it’s been damaged. In those instances, hand signals could be the only way you’re able to communicate your intentions to other drivers. And since you’re not the only one on the road, there’s a reasonable chance someone else could have a bulb out and be using hand signals that you need to know.

You may also notice that the three most common hand signals for safe driving in a car are the same ones taught to bicyclists and motorcyclists. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), bicyclists and motorcyclists have the same rights as someone driving an automobile. Knowing what a person on two or three wheels is telling you when he or she uses a hand signal is part of what it means to share the road.

For these reasons, all motorists should know at least a few basic hand signals for safe driving even if they are certain that all their blinkers and brake lights are working properly.

Hand signals you need to know for safe driving

Here are the three most common hand signals for safe driving that all drivers should know. The descriptions come straight from the NHTSA.

Left turn hand signal
Extend your left arm out sideways with all fingers extended or use your index finger to point left.

Right turn hand signal
Extend your left arm out sideways bent at a 90-degree angle at the elbow joint, with your hand pointing upward and the palm of your hand facing forward.

Alternative for bicyclists and motorcyclists: Extend your right arm out straight with all fingers extended or use your index finger to point right.

Hand signals for stopping and decreasing speed
Extend your left arm or right arm sideways and bend your arm at a 90-degree angle at the elbow joint, with your hand pointing downward and the palm of your hand facing backward.

Now that you know the basics, there are a few more guidelines to keep in mind. For starters, you should use your arm and hand signals the same way you would your turn signals or brake lights. Start your signal well in advance of the turn or stop; most states suggest at least 100 feet before the turn or stop in the city and 200 feet before changing lanes or turning on the highway. Keep your arm and hand in position until you’ve completed your maneuver. If you flash the signal too briefly or keep your hand in the position too long, you may just confuse the driver behind you. It’s a good idea to check your mirrors after you finish your hand signal to ensure that drivers behind you see what you’re doing and are slowing down.

Legal requirements for hand signals

It’s not easy to explain the legality of hand signals across all 50 states because each state sets its own traffic laws. Way back in 1926, Herbert Hoover, who was serving as chairman of the National Conference on Street and Highway Safety, said, “Without uniformity in essential laws and regulations, reduction in loss of life, personal injury and property damage upon our streets and highways is virtually impossible."

Copies of a document known as the Uniform Vehicle Code (UVC) exist all the way back to 1930. The UVC was created as a guide under Hoover’s tutelage for states to adopt similar sets of laws and regulations for motorists on America’s growing network of roads and highways. But it has always been up to each individual state to adopt and enforce those laws, which means the UVC is not necessarily legally binding.

According to the United States Department of Transportation, the UVC was last updated in 2000, and it still included recommendations on hand signals for safe driving. Here’s the relevant text directly from the latest edition of the UVC:

Section 11-606: Method of giving hand-and-arm signal

All hand-and-arm signals 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.

3. Stop or decrease speed — Hand and arm extended downward. 

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, a person operating a bicycle may give a right turn signal by extending the right hand and arm horizontally and to the right side of the bicycle.

Almost all of the 50 states — we’re looking at you, Massachusetts! — have adopted a set of traffic laws that are at least partly based on the UVC recommendations. Most states therefore have guidelines for the use of hand signals as outlined in this article, and they generally require drivers to use them in case of turn signal or brake light failure. You’re encouraged to search your own state’s traffic code so that you’re familiar with all the laws and regulations in the areas you most commonly drive.

Special safety considerations for hand signals

It’s always acceptable to use hand signals when driving. Driving-Tests.org, which bills itself as the largest independent driver education provider in the United States, says hand signals should be used as a supplement to your vehicle’s built-in signals and says drivers should practice them in safe areas to build muscle memory. Practicing hand signals when your car’s signals are functioning will make them easier to use when your signals aren’t working.

When your car’s signals or lights are broken or malfunctioning, driving at night can be especially dangerous. In the same way that bicyclists and motorcyclists use reflective clothing, a pair of reflective gloves would be advisable at dawn or dusk to make your hands as clearly visible as possible to other drivers. If there’s no light out at all, the safest course of action would be to leave the car parked until its signals can be repaired. Coreway, a licensed driving school in New York City, acknowledges that may not always be possible and suggests keeping a small LED flashlight in your driver's door compartment that can be held to make hand signals easier to see at night.