6 Hand Signs every Biker should know by 6kiom:
Safe Bike riding is not just about wearing the right riding gear, Protection, lights or reflective clothing. With more and more vehicles on the road, the safety of not only you but of other riders too is very important. The way of communicating with other riders and commuters while on the road is through the use of hand signals or hand gestures. It’s not just a courtesy but It’s a basic safety to let other riders know whether you are about to take a left or right turn, stop or inform them about any potential road hazard ahead. This May for Motorcycles Awareness Month 6kiom brings you the 6 key hand signals which every biker should be aware of.
Turn Right Hand Signal:
There are two hand gestures for turning right. First option is to extending the right arm fully outside, even though this way is pretty common but not legally acceptable in many countries as bikers may lose the control over the bike. The other recommended way is to extend your left arm out sideways and bent at an angle of 90 degrees at the elbow point. The hand points upwards and pam facing forward.
Turn Left Hand Signal:
Fully extend your left arm at shoulder height while maintaining the balance of the Motorcycle, away from your body, with the palm facing down and all fingers extended. You may also use the index finger to point left.
Stop Hand Signal:
When coming to a stop, extend out your left arm and turn your palm to face backwards. It’s a universal fact that a hand being held up means stop. Due to being on a Motorcycle and having to maneuver it, you can’t face the people being you to hold your hand up and let them know you are coming to a stop. So, this is a safe way to alert them with the same concept of hand being up.
Speed up Hand Signal:
This hand signal is used to tell your fellow bikers to speed up and increase their speed to match your pace. With your left arm extended, do a upward movement with your palm facing up.
Slow down Hand Signal:
Extend your left arm. Do a downward movement with your palm facing down. If for any reason the group needs to slow down, the lead rider can give the signal to everyone and they can then lower their speed.
Road Hazard hand signal:
This hand signal is to let other riders know about the hazard on the road. For Hazard towards your left, extend your left arm with your Index finger pointing towards the ground. For Hazard towards your right, take your right foot and point towards the ground. This signal can also be used to let other riders know that there is something obstructing the road or possibly, an accident up ahead.
For more interesting content on biking – https://www.instagram.com/6kiom/