Driving arm signals drivers#

On busy pedestrian school routes, you may also come across authorised persons, clad in fluorescent jackets and usually wearing a hat. However, sometimes an officer might be on foot and will indicate where you need to pull over using hand signals. Usually, when a police officer wants to pull you over, they’ll be in a patrol vehicle or an unmarked car and will use blue lights and their indicators to tell you to stop. Will a police officer pull me over using hand signals? They will also have other uniform on, likely including a police hat. The officer will usually be identifiable by their hi-vis jacket, with ‘POLICE’ written on it. You must obey any signal a police officer gives you. Occasionally traffic lights can break, and at a particularly busy junction, you may see a police officer controlling traffic flow there instead. Cops often attend road accidents as part of their day to day work, and so one instance where you might see an officer giving hand signals is to direct traffic safely around an accident. Police officers are tasked with maintaining law and-crucially, here-order. Why would a police officer direct traffic with hand signals? Doing the arm signals yourself, as actions can often help you to learn and recall information.Getting a friend or family member to imitate the arm signals and test you on their meaning.Covering up the captions and asking yourself: what should I do when a police officer gives this signal?.Top tips for learning police hand signalsĪlthough the signals themselves make logical sense, it can be easy to mix them up. Traffic approaching from both the front and behind must stopĪll images © Crown copyright ( Open Government Licence)īeckoning traffic on from the side traffic on from the front Traffic approaching from behind must stop Traffic approaching from the front must stop Generally speaking, when using the stop signals, police officers will hold their arms still, but gestures used to beckon traffic on will be moving. Three of them tell traffic coming from different directions to stop three beckon traffic on.

There are six different types of hand signals that police officers commonly use. What hand signals do police officers use? Revise them thoroughly-they could show up on your test. They both contain official DVSA questions with answers. You can be issued with a fine, points on your licence or a driving disqualification for failing to do as they direct.ĭuring your theory test, you may be asked to correctly interpret a specific hand signal made by a police officer or other authorised person when it comes to revising, we advise buying resources like the official DVSA handbook or the AA theory test book. These people will all be in official uniform that identifies them as a person with the authority to direct traffic.

Driving Vehicle and Standards Agency (DVSA) officers.

Driving arm signals drivers#

Who are the ‘authorised persons’ who can signal you to stop?Īlthough there are a number of road users who might give arm signals-car drivers and cyclists among them-there are certain authorised people whose signals you must obey by law.

Who are the authorised persons who can signal you to stop?.

By the time we're done, you'll be ready for any and every (non-rude) hand signal that comes your way. We'll take you through who has the authority to stop your vehicle, what those arm signals will look like, and how you can respond in kind. But because you probably won’t see the police and others using hand gestures all that often, you might not recognise them when you do. Certain authorised people can also direct you by giving you hand signals. Signs and signals play a key role in helping to keep drivers safe on the roads-but it isn’t just permanent signs you need to look out for. Police and Authorised Person Hand Signals Explained