A man in a blue jacket standing in front of a mountain.

Apr 18, 2019

6 min. read

If you don’t understand what a cyclist means when they stick out their left arm and point toward the sky, don’t worry—some biking hand signals aren’t the most intuitive. Here’s a quick primer on what all that waving means.

LEFT TURN

Left arm pointing straight left

A man wearing a helmet with his arm outstretched.

RIGHT TURN

Left arm bent at 90 degrees, fingers pointing skyward

A man wearing a helmet is waving his hand.

RIGHT TURN (ALTERNATE)

Right arm pointing straight right

A man wearing a helmet with his arms outstretched.

STOP

Left arm bent at 90 degrees, fingers pointing at the ground

The back of a man wearing a helmet.

Passionate about cycling safety?

Read about CAA’s Watch For Bikes program and why you should be adopting the Dutch Reach.

Image credit: Arthur Mount

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