Arizona recognizes three hand-and-arm signals for drivers, all given from the left side of the vehicle: arm straight out for a left turn, arm bent upward for a right turn, and arm bent downward for stopping or slowing. Arizona driving hand signals are legally interchangeable with your electronic turn signals, and state law only requires you to signal, by either method, when another driver, cyclist, or pedestrian could be affected by your move.
The Three Hand Signals
Arizona Revised Statutes Section 28-756 defines each signal in simple terms.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 28 – Section 28-756 – Method of Giving Hand and Arm Signals
- Left turn: extend your left hand and arm straight out horizontally from the driver’s window.
- Right turn: extend your left arm out the window and bend it upward so your forearm points toward the sky.
- Stop or slow: extend your left arm out the window and angle it downward so your forearm points toward the ground.
The statute does not specify whether your hand is open or closed, or which way your palm faces. What matters is that the arm position is visible to the traffic around you. An arm that barely clears the window or blends into the door panel isn’t communicating anything.
When a Signal Is Required
This is the part most Arizona drivers get wrong. Section 28-754 does not require a signal every time you turn. It requires one when “any other traffic may be affected by the movement.”2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 28 – Section 28-754 – Turning Movements and Required Signals Pulling into your own driveway on an empty street at midnight? The statute technically doesn’t demand a signal. But if any other road user could reasonably be affected, you must signal before turning, changing lanes, or moving laterally.
When a signal is required, it has to run continuously for the last 100 feet before the turn.2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 28 – Section 28-754 – Turning Movements and Required Signals A quick flick a car length before you turn doesn’t meet that standard, whether you’re using a lamp or your arm.
The same statute requires a signal before stopping or suddenly slowing when a vehicle is immediately behind you and you have the opportunity to signal.2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 28 – Section 28-754 – Turning Movements and Required Signals Working brake lights usually take care of this. If a brake light is out, the downward arm signal is your only legal way to warn the driver behind you.
When Hand Signals Replace Signal Lamps
Section 28-755 treats hand-and-arm signals and signal lamps as interchangeable. Either method satisfies the law.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 28 – Section 28-755 – Hand or Arm Signals or Mechanical Signal There’s one exception. If your vehicle is built or loaded in a way that would block a hand signal from being visible to traffic in front of and behind you, the statute requires lamps or a mechanical signal device. A driver hauling a wide load that hides the left side of the cab cannot rely on an arm signal alone.
A burned-out turn signal bulb, a blown fuse, or a broken brake light does not excuse you from signaling. The obligation simply shifts to your left arm.
A Different Right-Turn Option for Cyclists
Cyclists use the same three signals, with one addition. Under Section 28-756(B), a bicyclist may signal a right turn by extending the right hand and arm horizontally to the right side of the bicycle.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 28 – Section 28-756 – Method of Giving Hand and Arm Signals The standard bent-left-arm signal is hard to spot on a narrow bike, so pointing in the actual direction of travel is allowed. The traditional signal remains legal too.
What Failing to Signal Costs You
Failure to signal is a civil traffic offense. Fine amounts vary by court, but the lasting consequence is on your driving record. The Arizona Department of Transportation assesses two points against your license for the violation.4Arizona Department of Transportation. Points Assessment
Two points sounds minor on its own. They stack. If you reach eight or more points in any 12-month period, you may be ordered to attend Traffic Survival School, or your driving privileges may be suspended for up to 12 months.4Arizona Department of Transportation. Points Assessment A couple of signal violations alongside a speeding ticket gets you there.
A signal violation also gives an officer legal grounds to pull you over, and if you cause a crash by skipping a signal, the citation becomes evidence of fault against you in any injury claim that follows. Arizona uses a pure comparative negligence system, so you can still recover damages even if you are partly to blame, but your recovery is reduced by your share of the fault.5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 12 – Section 12-2505 – Comparative Negligence Definition