Why didn’t someone come up with this a long time ago?! Turn signals for bicyclists would be very useful and could go a long way towards reducing bicycle-vehicle collisions.

From lifehacker:

Unfortunately, few people know hand signals anymore, so Instructables user CTY1995 decided to make his own wearable turn signals that he could put on his arms and turn on by lifting his arm up from his side.

The beauty of these turn signals is that they use a mercury tilt switch and some electroluminescent (EL) panels that light up to show big bright arrows every time he lifts up the arm that corresponds with the direction he wants to move. Combined with some Velcro and armbands, the panels make a comfortable, wearable gadget that can make your bike ride much safer. Best of all, the tilt switch is sensitive enough that you don’t have to start waving your arm wildly in the air to turn it on—just a slight lift will do the trick, and everyone around you will know where you’re going.

Learn more about the DIY bicycle turn signals and how to create them on this Instructables post: Automatic Activated Blink Signal.

Zachary Shahan (2291 Posts)

I'm the director of CleanTechnica, the most popular clean energy website in the world, and Planetsave, a leading green and science news site. I've been covering green news of various sorts since 2008, and I've been especially focused on solar energy, electric vehicles, bicycling, and wind energy for the past few years. You can also find my work on Scientific American, Reuters, Think Progress, GE's ecomagination site, several sites in the Important Media network, & many other places. To connect on your favorite social network, go to: zacharyshahan.com