Living Car Free - Signaling, is there a better way?

The family and I where about to pull into our drive way, we had taken the road (unmarked two lane, room for parking on one side, sort of) and both signalled a left turn.
The guy behind us was either a nutter, or mistook our outstretched arms and slowing down as a sign for him to punch the gas and pass us, nearly running over my wife and 2 y/o daughter.

I know many drivers don't have the first clue on biking hand signals, so what else can be done to make it clear?
Since then my wife has become extremely scared of cars, it's really put a damper in our attempt to go mostly carless.

Some guesses, since I don't know for sure everything that happened there:

1. He thought that you were directing him to pass.

2. You weren't far enough to the left (even venturing into the opposite lane would be a good idea if there wasn't any oncoming traffic). Going FAR to the left makes it both impossible for him to pass and -- more importantly, IMO -- blatantly obvious that you're going to turn left.

3. You let him get too close/he was tailgating. Turn sooner, or stop and let him pass.

In my sig, I say, "Never forget what it's like to be a cager." What I don't mean is to remember what it's like to be in a car and have an understanding and courteous attitude towards fellow cyclists. I'm talking about putting oneself in the shoes (or driver's seat) of an ignorant, impatient a-hole who doesn't understand arm signals and doesn't like to hit the brakes.

There's a difference between taking the road and "cowering in fear" (which is what some people will say about giving ANY ground to motor vehicles) -- and that's what I'd call sharing the road. That's what everyone wants to do.

I know many drivers don't have the first clue on biking hand signals, so what else can be done to make it clear?
Since then my wife has become extremely scared of cars, it's really put a damper in our attempt to go mostly carless.

When I got my driver's license I had to pass a test that included hand signals , left right and stop. Don't motorcyclists use them on bikes without electric signals? Here in DC guys don't chop their Harley's down themselves but in Florida they did and they'd take the electric signals off and use their hand signals. The causal factor can't be ignorance.

2. You weren't far enough to the left (even venturing into the opposite lane would be a good idea if there wasn't any oncoming traffic). Going FAR to the left makes it both impossible for him to pass and -- more importantly, IMO -- blatantly obvious that you're going to turn left.



This is what I was thinking.

I hope you can convince your wife about biking more, and stay safe!

I know many drivers don't have the first clue on biking hand signals, so what else can be done to make it clear?

There is but one way to solve this problem part way. (there will be stupid drivers no matter what)

That way is to get a cyclist of all stripe, motor an non, to complain to the secretary of state about
TEACHING AND TESTING hand signals as part of drivers test as they come due. Unless drivers
are forced to learn ,and then be able to use, Hand Signals to get a drivers permit nothing will change.

Good suggestion, Nightshade. If there's a cycling advocacy organization in the OP's area, they might be the people to contact to raise that concern.

A couple more thoughts -

Advocacy, while noble, may not make much difference "on the ground" where we encounter traffic that doesn't know any better.

So, for something more immediate and involving the wife, maybe try going for a ride - but have her follow in the car. Experiment with signaling and lane position on a quiet street, getting input from her about what you can do as a rider that makes sense to a driver.

Also, a driver's actions may not be as intentionally hostile as we think, notably when gunning the motor. When they do that, they probably aren't doing it to scare you, but instead want to get past quickly so that they spend less time next to you. That way, they'll actually get out of your way sooner and not make you as nervous. That line of thought might go, "I'd better scoot past so they can go back to riding and not worry about where I'm driving."

Anyway, I just think that not everybody is out to kill cyclists. If they really were, we'd be dead already.

Anyway, I just think that not everybody is out to kill cyclists. If they really were, we'd be dead already.

When I first started out on the roads, I had the same idea: there are a lot of malicious drivers out there. Surprisingly, as I gain confidence and keep more to the middle of the lane, I discover fewer and fewer of these incidents. I see a large number of cyclists out in the summer hanging close to the curb and I cringe whenever I encounter them. They must all feel that the world is out to get them, since they allow anything in their lane the chance to easily pass them... even if there really isn't room.

Unfortunately, cycling has its own set of rules for getting about in traffic and those rules are not offered in any particular training course that I know of. Too bad.

I think my only advice to the OP would be to avoid situations that seem dangerous. If drivers aren't understanding your signals, you are either not being obvious enough or drivers in your town are complete and utter morons. You might want to investigate the first possibility, but if the second is true, perhaps you should move elsewhere.

Thanks for the tips and advice. We only went down the middle of the road, going wrong lane ,looking back, would of been the better choice, aside from letting everyone pass. Thanks a lot for the advice barracks.

Nightshade, the city has been very bike friendly as of late, but there can never be to much biker and driver education. I'll look into contacting the SOTS, I remember my test having a quick snip about bikers, nothing too useful.

...

Unfortunately, cycling has its own set of rules for getting about in traffic and those rules are not offered in any particular training course that I know of. Too bad.

That's true. Apart from classes being offered by area clubs (which people only really know about if they go looking for them -- and I don't think that many do), the last time I was given any safety instruction was in grade school.

I could imagine being surprised by almost every vehicle that passes me. The thing is, most of them do so in a safe manner -- I might even say that nearly all of them do. If I were to count the ones that seemed genuinely unsafe, I might get up to ten in the past year and a half.

However, I'm in a pretty old neighborhood, with relatively low speeds, dense traffic, and a lot of other cyclists. My dad didn't even have much problem riding to the hardware store or to Arlington with me during his recent visit. Having driven here myself, I understand what annoys drivers, and to be honest, cyclists aren't very high on the list. I'd say that I have an easier time than riders in other areas, and it's not necessarily because of what I do on the bike.

If your wife is freaked out maybe check this out.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/turn-signal-jacket.php

Personally though if you were going to make a jacket like that I don't quite get why you would make it black for poor visibility but the idea is creative.

The family and I where about to pull into our drive way, we had taken the road (unmarked two lane, room for parking on one side, sort of) and both signalled a left turn.
The guy behind us was either a nutter, or mistook our outstretched arms and slowing down as a sign for him to punch the gas and pass us, nearly running over my wife and 2 y/o daughter.

I know many drivers don't have the first clue on biking hand signals, so what else can be done to make it clear?
Since then my wife has become extremely scared of cars, it's really put a damper in our attempt to go mostly carless.
A number of people have looked for a long time for GOOD bicycle turn signals and not found any.
All the commercial ones I have ever seen online were total junk.
I think that the best solution would be to make your own--though I have not done that.

It's simple: you just need a battery-powered circuit that can drive some LED lighting. Under and inside each hand-grip is a momentary-closed button you can push with your thumbs. Left button turns on left lights, right button turns on right lights. To blink left you push left button, let off, push left button, let off, like that. And they double as "brake" lights, if you push and hold both while braking.

Also if you made your own you could space them apart--like,,,, 18 inches or so, about as wide as your shoulders are. The commercial-made ones I've seen were all cheap little things, with two two-inch-tall "arrow-shaped" lenses, spaced about four inches apart, they were way too narrow to be clear turn indicators unless the car behind you was very close already.

This way you could signal while keeping both hands on the bars, which is FAR safer than any sort of hand-signaling you could do. Plus you get "brake" lights too.

I would bet that most drivers would at least understand these lights, because they're like what's on cars.
If they will respond properly to them is another question.

Also I expect that if you made these lights, then you should use a lower-level, always-constant-on rear light at night. Having a blinking rear center light along with a blinking side light is just going to confuse people.
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Why signal with just your arm? I try to use my whole body language to signal my intentions. For making a left hand turn, I would sit up tall and take a long look back, turning my sholders. Keeping your sholders turned allows you to look foreward and back quickly. Obviously, this body position would not work for all abilities of cyclists, but I think the turned sholders and a swiveling head are more effective than an arm. Anyone agree?

My tactic is to ride like I'm invisible. If a car is coming up behind me I move over and let him pass. If I have to signal, I signal, but I don't rely on the car behind me to see that I'm signalling.

I wouldn't call it cowering; cowering implies that I'm hiding or trying to be less visible, which is dangerous. But if I imagine that I'm invisible, it's up to me to keep myself out of their way.

It's not a waste of time, especially when you're riding with loved ones. Use ten seconds of your time to let an impatient driver get past you, and then he's gone and you're safer.

Why signal with just your arm? I try to use my whole body language to signal my intentions. For making a left hand turn, I would sit up tall and take a long look back, turning my sholders. Keeping your sholders turned allows you to look foreward and back quickly. Obviously, this body position would not work for all abilities of cyclists, but I think the turned sholders and a swiveling head are more effective than an arm. Anyone agree?
I use a head-mount rear view mirror; I don't ever "turn around" to look behind me.

One of the bikes I own is a recumbent and turning around while riding isn't really practical.
On the other bike I could turn to look, but don't because the head-mount mirror works better--it allows me to turn my head just a bit to the left, and then I can see in front and behind me, at the same time.

When it comes to riding in motor traffic, I honestly feel that having a good rear-view mirror is far more important to rider safety than wearing a helmet is.
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just give the man a key-job. drivers hate us cuz they're jealous of the fact that we don't spend thousands on gas.

You got me. I've put out my arm for a left turn on a two-way and had oncoming cars screech to a halt! I have to convince the idiots that they have the right-of-way. It's a mix between those ones and the ones behind you trying to run you down. The more you drive, the less intelligent you are.

I know many drivers don't have the first clue on biking hand signals, so what else can be done to make it clear?

The whole point of hand signals is to tell you things about the driver. You should be signalling well in advance of your turn and then shoulder-checking to ensure that the coast is clear. The simple fact is that drivers are not suddenly going to wise up to biking hand signals tomorrow, or next week, or next year, so you need to make an allowance for the ones who will misinterpret your signal or just panic when they see it. Once you've not only made the signal, but also ascertained that the driver in question has understood and responded to it, then you can make your turn.

You got me. I've put out my arm for a left turn on a two-way and had oncoming cars screech to a halt! I have to convince the idiots that they have the right-of-way. It's a mix between those ones and the ones behind you trying to run you down. The more you drive, the less intelligent you are.

They're screeching to a halt because they're expecting you to just turn in front of them like too many other cyclists have done before. So, they're erring on the side of safety, which really isn't a bad thing.

(or, they're thinking that your hand signal means that you want them to stop)