Before Blinkers: The Confusing Global History of Hand Signals for Turns and Stops

Turn signals are one of the earliest car safety features. Early 1900s, some cars had mechanical arm "trafficators" that popped out of either side to show a turn. In 1908 Italian inventor Alfredo Barachini got a patent for illuminated trafficators. French automaker Talbot started putting modern-style illuminated arrows on cars in the 1930s. But despite turn signals existing for over a century, there wasn't a uniform way to use them and they weren't even required by law in the U.S. until 1953.

Since turn signals weren't standardized for the first half-century of cars, lots of drivers still had to learn hand signals. Got tricky when traveling internationally though because different countries did hand signals differently. They didn't vary wildly but enough to cause confusion, and standards haven't really gotten better since. Some countries still have confusing hand signals, some use the same gestures for totally different things, and some lack basic ones. So how'd the world handle this before blinkers?

Hand Signals in the U.S.

Three main hand signals for U.S. drivers but they're different than the originals from before mechanical turn signals. Original signals went like this: left arm straight out the driver's window with back of hand facing backwards meant left turn. Left arm out with palm facing backwards meant slowing to a stop. Arm making clockwise circles from the driver's perspective meant right turn.

Only one of those stuck around: the left turn. Signaling right is way easier to see now, arm bent upwards at a 90-degree angle. Stopping is clearer too, arm bent down at 90 degrees instead of trying to figure out which way someone's palm is facing.

Hand signals died out pretty fast once Buick became the first American company to use blinkers in 1939. But if one or both blinkers stop working, good to know how to alert other drivers. These are also the same signals cyclists use. Sharing the road with cars is dangerous for them so drivers should know what their signals mean. Cyclists can signal right with an upward 90-degree bent arm or just stick their right arm straight out since nothing's blocking the view.

Other Countries Did It Differently

Hand signals have always varied in other countries but info about the differences is sparse, so hard to know if the ones used today are the originals. They evolved in America so probably changed over the years elsewhere too. The 1931 U.K. highway code shows how the country first used hand signals.

U.K. cars are right-hand-drive so drivers stuck their right hand out with palm facing forward to signal right. Gets messier from there. To signal slowing down, driver stuck right arm out palm down and waved it up and down with a limp wrist. To let traffic behind them know it's safe to pass, they'd extend their arm below the window and move it back and forth. Weirdly gestures for stopping and turning left are shown but only while driving a horse-drawn carriage holding a whip.

In the U.K. today the right turn gesture is the same. Up and down motion now means the driver's about to parallel park. Left turn signal exists now at least. For that they stick their right arm straight out then make counter-clockwise circles. Australia's similar but the stop gesture is an upward 90-degree arm bend and left-turn signals are still basically nonexistent. Spanish hand signals are close to the U.S. but slowing down uses the old U.K. up-and-down motion.

Thankfully illuminated turn signals exist now, bringing some uniformity. Doesn't mean some automakers don't make dumb blinkers but at least they mostly work the same.