Right turn hand signal
A driver’s left arm out of the window with the forearm pointing up means they are about to turn right. US state vehicle codes define it as the hand and arm extended upward.
Easily confused with
How to read it
US drivers sit on the left, so the right-turn signal is made with the left arm, out of the driver’s window. California Vehicle Code §22111 says hand and arm signals are given from the left side of a vehicle and defines a right turn as “hand and arm extended upward beyond the side of the vehicle”; Florida’s §316.157 and New York’s §1165 say “hand and arm extended upward”. The driver handbooks of California, Texas and Pennsylvania draw it as the arm out of the window and bent up at the elbow. NHTSA’s hand signals handout for cyclists puts the same shape in words: the left arm out sideways, bent at a 90-degree angle at the elbow, hand pointing upward and palm facing forward.
Also searched as: arm up signal, hand signal for right turn, right hand signal driving, right turn signal hand.
Rules vary by state and country. This explains what each signal means in the state vehicle codes, driver handbooks and the UK Highway Code it cites; it isn’t legal advice.
Why the arm points up
The codes put every hand signal on the left side of the vehicle, the driver’s side, which is why a driver’s right-turn signal points up and not to the right. Cyclists have a second choice: California’s §22111 and Florida’s §316.157 both add that “a bicyclist may extend the right hand and arm horizontally to the right side of the bicycle”. See Bike right turn signal (right arm out).
Look-alikes
The stop or slow down signal is the same bent arm with the forearm pointing down instead of up. The left turn signal is the arm held out straight, with no bend.
Read next
- Next in Driving and cycling hand signalsStop or slow down hand signalA driver’s left arm out of the window with the forearm pointing down means they are stopping or slowing down. US state vehicle codes define it as the hand and arm extended downward.
- The same shape in North and Central American flagsFlag of GuatemalaGuatemala’s flag has sky-blue, white and sky-blue vertical stripes with the coat of arms in the centre: a quetzal on a scroll dated 15 September 1821, the day of independence, over crossed rifles and swords in a laurel wreath. Guatemala’s flag law of 1997 says the arms stand for justice, sovereignty, victory and the immortality of liberty, and, as Prensa Libre reports it, gives white the meaning of purity and peace and blue of strength, justice, truth and loyalty.
More driving and cycling hand signals
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with lines.
Sources
- California Vehicle Code §22111, Cal. Veh. Code §22111 (amended 1976), California Legislative Information, §22111(a)–(c)
- Florida Statutes §316.157: Method of giving hand and arm signals, Fla. Stat. §316.157 (2026), The Florida Legislature, §316.157(1)(a)–(c)
- New York Vehicle and Traffic Law §1165: Method of giving hand-and-arm signals, N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law §1165, New York State Senate, §1165(1)–(3)
- California Driver’s Handbook: Introduction to driving (Signaling), California Driver’s Handbook, California Department of Motor Vehicles, Signaling; Communicating with other drivers
- Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), DL-7, revised January 2026, chapters 6 and 9, Texas Department of Public Safety, Chapter 6, How to Signal; Bicycles, Do’s
- Pennsylvania Driver’s Manual (PUB 95), PUB 95 (4-21), chapter 3, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Chapter 3, Signaling when changing direction; Hand signals (p. 44)
- Hand Signals (handout 8009), NHTSA handout 8009-082912-v2, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Hand Signals: left turn, right turn, alternative right turn, stopping or slowing
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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