Hand Signals

[Paul Hittie]

Recently I did a short seminar at the Jeep Creep on trail communications - I had planned on getting into other methods of communications besides electronics, but based on the group we had and what they were looking for, I focused on CB, FRS and ham radios.

This week, the topic of trail communications came up on ATV Offroad's website - and I thought it was worth sharing here.  We do not cover it in the UFWDA 4WD Awareness training, and have never covered it at a club event that I recall.  Some of you may have seen me use them on the trail, especially where we do our trail maintenance project in Atlanta and encounter lots of our smaller friends.  So here is a quick primer, cut and paste style:

From http://www.atvoffroad.net/forums/showthread.php/1093-hand-signals/page2?highlight=hand+signals

Default Re: hand signals
Quote Originally Posted by hardway
where does one learn these hand signals?
From friends & family who teach you to ride and/or in the safety course that Bill teaches. Otherwise I really don't know as it's not in the handbook. Michigan Snowmobile Association publishes the basic hand signal cheat sheet annually in their magazine. Can't say I've ever seen it in a CCC or AMA magazine, but could have missed it.

Here's the essential portion pertaining to this discussion:
When meeting an oncoming rider, you hold up your left hand to indicate how many are riding behind you. If there are three people in your group and thus 2 are behind you, you would show two fingers. The next guy behind you would hold up one finger. Last guys holds up a closed fist.
If you are solo, you hold up a closed fist.
If there are more than five people or you have mittens on, you hold up your outstretched hand (ie all fingers extended as opposed to a closed fist).

Example would be last weekend on Sunday there were 6 sleds behind me. I held up 5 fingers, next guy held up five, next guy held up 4, next 3, next 2, next 1, last closed fist.

The MSA chart shows that the lead rider should use a hitch-hiking motion to indicate more sleds behind him with the last rider to use a closed fist. This is the "international" signal according to the chart. This past weekend I saw one person do this (out of hundreds of riders passed) and have never seen it in use before. Seems to me that the "number of riders" option discussed first is much more popular than the latter option and is the one I subscribe to.

[Paul Hittie]

Hand signals for winching are pretty basic, and we do cover these in the 4WD Awareness program:

[Paul Hittie]

Hand signals for a spotter can also be pretty simple:

From http://www.4x4wire.com/trail/technique/spotting99/

Once the driver has said he/she will accept your advice and directions, here are some of the ground rules:

Photo by Mike Pulskamp
A spotter in front where the Driver can see him and sometimes an additional spotter at the rear
Mike Pulskamp Generally, use one spotter at a time. The spotter usually stands in front, facing the vehicle, or from the side of the route where the driver can see his/her hand signals.
Sometimes it is important to have an additional spotter at the rear, or where ever there is a problem area. This spotter is limited to only yelling, "Hope," "Stop," or "Wait," before the going gets to the damage stage. The second spotter only stops the proceedings and does not direct the driver in any other way.
Hand signals are the best. Both driver and spotter must clearly understand any hand signals before proceeding. My favorite hand signals for casual spotting are with one hand that the driver can easily see. The spotter must continually move to a position where the driver can see his hand.
The "Joystick Thumb"

FORWARD: Using the "thumb up" in the vertical position with one hand means, "move forward slowly". Slowly pivot your thumb fore to aft signaling the relative speed at which to move. If your thumb remains straight up, it means keep going in that direction, even if the wheel is turned to the side. When it's time for the spotter to move to a new location and the driver is out of danger, just motion forward and move on.

TURN RIGHT OR LEFT: Leaning your thumb a little or a lot to the right or left, indicates the degree to which you would like the driver to change direction of the steering wheels. To be more insistent, you can jab your thumb more vociferously to obtain a quicker response.

STOP: A flat hand held in the vertical "Stop" mode, means just that.

REVERSE: If you need to have the driver back up and try again on another line, signal your intentions by waving them off and motioning for them to go back by swinging your hand toward them. Most of the time it is best to walk up and tell them this, as they will already be at a stop. This is a good time for the spotter to go to the rear of the Jeep and give "verbals" to get back to a place where the driver can try again.

[Paul Hittie]

And one of the verbal signals I have learned to appreciate lately (both as a spotter and as a driver) is using the side of the vehicle as it is commonly described in conversation.  If I say to steer right, do I mean my right or your right?  Like mariners, who refer to their vessel by port and starboard, telling a driver to turn "driver side" or "passenger side" leaves a whole lot less guessing.