Advocacy & Safety - "Safe Turn" Wrist-Mounted Signals

I ran across these wrist-mounted turn signals today and thought I would pass it on.

The Safe Turn Indicator is a new Australian invention. It is a small, portable, automatic bicycle light indicator that easily clips to the wristband that is provided or to your own glove.

Unlike other bicycle indicators, the Safe Turn Indicator does not require any special action from the cyclist. When your hand is raised to indicate a turn, the internal tilt switch detects the change in the position and the orange light starts to blink.

http://www.safeturn.com/img/fullsize.gif

http://www.safeturn.com/img/ST_wrist.jpg

www.safeturn.com


Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HTchSP4MbA

Has anyone used this product? Verdict?

Sorry if this has already been posted. I searched, but who knows.

Depends on how well the switch works. I can see it going off when you hit a bump,plus the effectiveness may vary depending on the type of bars you use.

More effective would prolly be a microswitch that you manually activate when you want the signals on.

Or you could just get some of this and put it on your gloves/sleeves:

http://www.identi-tape.com/sew-on.html

http://www.identi-tape.com/photos/vesttrim4.jpg

When I put my left arm out as I do when I make an arm turn signal, the top side of my wrist, where my watch is, is facing up. So I assume I would wear this thing so the light faces 90 degrees from the direction my watch face faces, and I would set it so that any time it is tilted in that direction, it will flash. In other words, any time my watch is facing up, it will flash, such as is likely to be the case any time I want to know what time it is, or any time I'm sitting up with my hands on the bars near the stem...

Now, if I adjust my arm to make a right signal, the tilt is totally different, and it's the watch face side of my wrist that is facing back.
And if I adjust my arm to make a stop signal, the tilt is totally different again, and it's the side opposite to the watch face side of my wrist that is facing back.

I don't see how this thing could work to any reasonable level of satisfaction.

I don't see how this thing could work to any reasonable level of satisfaction.

Perhaps it only needs to work for left turns (and not work when hands are on bars in any position) to provide the greatest benefit.

Al

As I consider my riding habits, I realize that I rarely signal turns when I am moving. On most of my right turns, I am not in communication with anyone who needs to know most of the time. Cars to my rear are happy to see me turn and need do nothing to accommodate me. If I am exercising due diligence, I am already aware of and eager to yield to traffic that is also turning right - so a signal doesn't have much effect for them.

The only time a right signal is meaningful (IMO) is when I am turning into some sort of parking lot or apartment complex and outbound traffic that would otherwise be waiting so as not to cross my path (if I were proceeding straight ahead) might see my signal and realize that they don't have to wait for me.

In most of those situations, however, I find that the driver either doesn't see my signal or doesn't trust it and will not chance pulling out. Also, I am usually traveling at a sufficient rate of speed that I cannot maintain the signal long enough to assure the driver that I really do intend to turn (generally, I have to abbreviate the signal because I need both hands to get around the corner).

I do often signal left turns, but, again, if I am turning left, most often my lane position makes my intent very clear, and there is really no need for me to signal. Sometimes, at a large intersection, when I want to make a left, I'll split between the left turn lane and the straight through lane, and position myself just ahead of stopped traffic so that I can be seen. In that situation, I definitely signal my intent to make a left, and generally also telegraph my intent to make a really wide left turn by pulling far out into the intersection when I get the green so that I can actually make the turn along side but well clear of cars also turning left.

This seems to work well as I rarely feel any danger and most drivers seem to appreciate that we can both negotiate the left and I don't need to hold them up, and they don't need to worry about me.

As for the topic signal light, I don't think too much of it. It looks too big and bulky to me - I would not like wearing one (let alone two). I'd sooner see some sort of lightweight signal system that you could wear on your back and just flick a switch (positioned somewhere on the front of your body) to blink either a right or left arrow.

In any event, it all sounds a bit like over kill to me.

I get along fine with the limited signaling that I practice. Amongst all of the close calls or actual physical or verbal tangles I've experienced with motor vehicles, I cannot think of one that I could attribute to my failure to signal or to display an adequately clear and visible signal.

Caruso

Trinkets. There are already standard hand signals in most if not all states. Learn them, use them. YMMV.

Trinkets. There are already standard hand signals in most if not all states. Learn them, use them. YMMV.

unfortunately, many autoists don't know what the signals mean.

For those of you that ride infrequently at night (like Helemt Head) I can see where you think it would provide limited usefullness.

Talking to bicycling commuters in this forum and in person daily at the bike shop, to people that actually ride at night, visible hand signals is VERY relevant.

I wouldn't use them as I find reflective tape very effective on glove backs for winter night riding- AL, how about you? Would you try a flashing turn light for bicyclists?

You were complaining about the diffuculty you have in merging left for left turns at night....

http://www.foamhands.com/1718redwitharmA.jpg

just wear one of these to point with

--- I visited the SafeTurn web site and watched their demonstration video. Putting myself in the place of a motorist, it would be more effective for the cyclist to have long reflective stripes along the sleeves.

Wasn't too impressed: I would catagorize it as "better than nothing".

For those of you that ride infrequently at night (like Helemt Head) I can see where you think it would provide limited usefullness.
FYI, I've been riding a lot more often at night since I got my Tricross, bek.

And wearing black full-fingered gloves makes it harder for them to see my signals, so I can see the need for something. But not this.

glad to hear it, parttimer - gone from niteriding once every other month to twice a month, eh?

Hows the signalling going with those black gloves? Remember Als thread on the subject of left turn merging on high speed roads at night? I forget if you posted any of your armchair advice to Al about nitetime signalling.

And what taillights did you put on your Tricross? newbie..

Trinkets. There are already standard hand signals in most if not all states. Learn them, use them. YMMV.

Kinda agree here. But to each his/her own. I do a lot of street night riding, but I also am dressed for it - plus have some a good headlight as well as an eyecatching back taillight. And I always signal - perhaps more exaggerated at night too.

I personally wouldn't want the light on me - may even find it distracting as I'm moving at night sometimes in heavy traffic and don't need the blinking distraction --- but I must say one thing - ya have to feel safe when traveling - especially at night. If these things make you feel more safe then go for it, but I think I've decked myself out with enough bike "bling".

Course I'm one who LOVES blinking things and neon ... hmmmm I've seen some cool innovations at bike shows where one thing was a vest with lights on it that would signal, etc - bout $100 - saw it a couple years ago at the Toronto bike show. Perhaps if I were doing a cross country - or more I might look into it.

But I feel pretty good with what I'm riding with now.

http://www.foamhands.com/1718redwitharmA.jpg

just wear one of these to point with

2nded, I'd never miss a cyclist, though I may crash laughing.

I've seen those wrist lights and quite frankly I think this would be far more usefull....

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x248/cyclaholic_album/bigglove.jpg

FYI, I've been riding a lot more often at night since I got my Tricross, bek.

And wearing black full-fingered gloves makes it harder for them to see my signals, so I can see the need for something. But not this.

It has always bugged me that gloves don't have a reflective patch on the back or some wide band around the wrist. I tend to wear red gloves, but at night, they appear black too.

I doubt the blinky thing works that well either, but there are certain places where even a bit of light would be nice...

Wouldn't yellow flashers mounted on a rear rack or fender (like a motorcycle) be easier to use and clearer to motorists? And/or sticking out of handlebar ends?

I wouldn't use them as I find reflective tape very effective on glove backs for winter night riding- AL, how about you? Would you try a flashing turn light for bicyclists?

You were complaining about the diffuculty you have in merging left for left turns at night....

I would try this if it was sent to me to try. I think HH pointed out some of the possible flaws, such as if it is possible to set it up so that when using effective traditional hand signals it works and when hands are on bars in any position, it doesn't. I'd consider the switching satisfactory if I could set it up so it doesn't go on when hands are on bars it it does for left signal (with my wrist top being either pointed up or back.) As for stop and right signals, I would not care if it was on or not.

It would have to be bright. It would be better if the arm band was covered with reflective material as well.

To be clear, I was not 'complaining about the difficulty I have in merging', only asking if anyone had solutions to make signals more visible at night.

Al

come on, al....you took the trouble to complain on the internet about merging left and how motorists couldn't see your hand signals.....you even posted a video

sounds like you were 'griping' (i.e. complaining) about motorists not seeing your hand signals at night, dude.

A guy like helmet head, he doesn't have a clue about night commuting. I know you have a realistic, grounded perspective on night riding, al.

I would try this if it was sent to me to try.

I've got one supposedly on the way (from Australia *yikes!*) I'll let you all know how it works out.

Like many of you I'm skeptical. I think reflective material on sleeves or gloves facing back toward traffic is more effective.

The only time I would feel the need to use something like this is at night; and even then, I wouldn't expect every motorist to understand what they were seeing.

Something I have found that conveys meaning more clearly is to signal ahead of time and turn my head so that my helmet light illuminates my outstretched arm. Of course the downside to this is briefly not watching where you're going.

I have an ankle strap with blinkies. I put it on my wrist when riding at night, continuously flashing. The blinkies are not very bright but they help me to be seen from the side, and they make my hand signals visible. It cost $8 at Walmart.