Traffic Police Emergency Hand Signals for Drivers
Considering the height of technological advancement in terms of road usage, it is bad that many road users have only learned to depend largely on traffic lights, vertical road signs, or road marks without giving much attention to police officers directing the traffic or finding themselves in a dilemma when they are faced with unusual situations. Though it is getting rare to find police officers directing traffic on the road, they are often present in big cities when there is a high concentration of traffic. Also, they are very important in times of emergency i.e., accidents, traffic jams, protocols duties, and security.
In most cases, the traffic lights could go haywire and you may find yourself having to respond to signals from the police officers. So, you should get familiar with the traffic signals from the road controllers to play along. The presence of police officers is to ensure the safety of the road users and guide them on appropriate road usage. Traffic control has been the basic function of police officers before the invention of traffic lights and other road agencies, and in the presence of none or when traffic lights cannot perfectly do the job, traffic cops are relied upon to manually control the traffic and make the road safe for users.
Raising Arms to Stop Approaching Vehicles
Traffic cops often communicate with their arms raised vertically or horizontally to signal that the approaching vehicle should stop. Such occurs in situations where there is a high concentration of vehicles from a particular direction and the traffic light isn’t available. However, if the traffic cop raised his/her hand at an intersection after the driver enters it, the driver would not need to stop. However, there are different ways that police officers control traffic through their postures and arm positions. For instance, if the traffic cop raises their hand vertically, it simply means that all the vehicles approaching in such direction should stop. There is other information that the officer might pass across in the process. Different hand-raising techniques by police officers are further explained below:
• Both hands raised vertically
Raising both arms vertically means that all vehicles approaching from all directions (right, left, back, and front) should stop.
• Only the right hand raised vertically
When a traffic cop positions his/her hand like this, it indicates that the approaching vehicles from the right, front, and behind should stop. This posture further indicates that vehicles approaching from the left side of the traffic cop should proceed.
• The right hand was horizontally raised and the left hand was raised vertically
When a traffic cop stands in this position, he is indicating that vehicles approaching from the left-hand side should stop, including those from behind and the front. It also means that the traffic controller is ready to change the signal and the vehicles approaching from the right side should get ready to stop or slow down.
• The left hand raised horizontally
This hand raising and posture signify that the approaching vehicles from the front and behind the traffic cop should stop. Vehicles that approach from the right-hand side of the cop can proceed in this situation. Also, this signal indicates that vehicles approaching from the left-hand side should be ready to stop.
• The right hand crossed on the chest and the left hand raised vertically
In this kind of posture, the police officer signals that the vehicle in his front should turn right and other right-turning vehicles in front of the police officer should move on, while vehicles approaching from other directions should stop.
• Standing with both hands down
This posture and arms position indicates that vehicles from both the front and behind the officer should stop, while vehicles on both sides (left and right) should proceed.
Hand Signals to Beckon on Vehicles
Aside from police raising hands to stop vehicles from different directions, traffic cops use hand signals to beckon on cars and get them along. Such posture and hand signal techniques involve:
• Hand raised in the air and waved at the wrinkle
When a cop stands in this position, it signals that the vehicles directly from the front can move forward or proceed.
• Backing the vehicles and slightly raising the arm up and down
When traffic cops stand in this posture and slightly back the vehicles with the left hand slightly up, it signals that vehicles from the backside of the cop can proceed. This is done instead of turning to face the approaching vehicles.
• Facing either left or right and raising the arm to beckon on vehicles
Traffic cops in this posture and hand-raising strategy beckon on vehicles from either left or right to proceed, depending on the position the cop is facing.
Paying adequate attention to traffic signals and learning and focusing on signs from the traffic officers aid mutual understanding and help road users to relate well with each other. Following traffic rules help to prevent or reduce confusion and, therefore, the rate of accidents and traffic jams can significantly be reduced. The presence of traffic officers also ensures that the road is safe for the users such that potential criminals are easy to detect and they help to maintain traffic laws. We recommend Malaysian drivers and other drivers from ASEAN countries to pay attention to learn the traffic police hand signals so smoothen their on-road experience.
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