One of the most beautiful sights to witness is the sight of physically challenged deaf & dumb people communicating with each other and how they also communicate with able humans. They have a highly effective standard sign language that anybody can learn and it involves just using hands and body movements.
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Now, one of the most thrilling things about driving on Nigerian roads is the ways drivers have mastered some particular set of sign languages for communicating effectively just like the deaf & dumb will do.
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As such, in this article, we highlight the top 5 sign languages every driver in Nigeria must know to survive in our typical everyday traffic.
How Does Using Sign Language Work for Drivers on the Road?
One of the most distracting things for drivers on the road is verbal communication with other drivers/road users. For example, you can’t be verbally telling oncoming drivers to stop for you to drive across a T-Junction. You have to send out a signal.
Do you know how short the reaction time of a driver is on the road? Before you could say “HEY!” another car would have run into you from behind. So, to bridge this communication gap, there are some features in your car that you are meant to use in communicating with other drivers who understand this aspect of driving.
Top Signs Languages to Use When Driving
The top five sign languages Nigerian drivers should use when in traffic:
- Flashing Car Headlights
Flashing headlights is one signal almost everyone knows about but it is one driving practice that most drivers are always doing wrongly. Let’s break it down into three aspects of road signal that would make this easier for you.
- Using headlights to give way
When you need another driver to give you way on the road, flash your headlights at him/her multiple times and then wait for a feedback signal from the driver. The driver must switch on his/her lights at you to signal that you have been given a Way to pass.
If the driver flashes back at you, it means you should not pass and if the driver doesn’t respond with headlights, it means your signal was missed. Remember, you are only free to pass when the driver switches on his/her full-beam headlights back at you.
- Using headlights to warn other road users
When you are driving on a two-carriageway and you notice that cars passing on the other lane are flashing at you three times, it means there’s a danger lying ahead on the road and you are just being warned about this.
At this point, you have to reduce your speed and proceed with optimal caution. It might be that there’s an accident ahead or a really bad spot that would ruin your car if you don’t slow down.
- Using a flashlight to flag drivers down or ask for a way ahead
If you are driving on the highway and there’s a car behind you flashing you multiple times, it means you are driving too slow and you need to give way for his or her to pass. This is common in emergencies. Some drivers drive very slowly on the highway while others need to rush down somewhere. A simple flash will mean ‘please give me Way’.
Also, when you are driving in a convoy with another car(s), a flashing car behind is just to call your attention to new developments. Many drivers drive in convoys and don’t communicate at all with other drivers. Flashing headlights is a simple way to organize passing information within a convoy of cars.
- Hand Signalling to Reduce Speed
A lot of times, drivers tend to be speeding past their proposed diversions off major roads and only emergency braking would be the saviour from this. The need to brake urgently can easily be accompanied by a ‘hand out of the car facing down’ signal to let the oncoming driver know that there will be an abrupt change in speed.
In most cases, it is safer to miss this turning and just re-route especially when you are driving on a fast lane but that doesn’t mean people won’t still use this signal for you on the road. Beware!
- Sweeper Opening Door in a Convoy
When you see cars moving in a convoy, especially a VIP convoy with security details attached. You should always expect that there is a sweeper car, whose responsibility is to clear the road for the convoy.
Once a sweeper’s car parks in a way that blocks other oncoming cars and the sweeper’s car door is opened, it means no car can move until the convoy is done moving ahead.
- Empty Container on a Car
The origin of this practice can be traced to Argentina. When you see any car parked by the roadside with an empty plastic container like a Jerry Can, water bottle or an engine oil container, it means the car is a used car that has been put up for sale.
Not every car seller in Nigeria has the patience to stick the “For Sale” sign on cars and also, this container could just easily be taken off the car to avoid the awkwardness of driving around a car that has a “For Sale” sign attached to it.
- Car with Leaves Ontop
When you see a car with leaves all over it, it means two things. It is either the car is in a convoy of cars escorting a corpse to the burial location or the car is signifying to the public that the driver and passengers mean peace as they are driving through a group of people protesting for a cause. The latter is common during protests on public roads by crowds.
You need to signify that you are with the crowd before you drive through unless they could destroy your car out of anger. Doesn’t matter if you are one of the richest celebrities in Nigeria, at that point, you must show a sign of peace. The former is common amongst people who are into the transporting business. Once a colleague dies, they put leaves on their cars while forming a convoy that will lead to the house or point of burial of the deceased.
Conclusion
So, here are some of the top-secret driving tips for surviving on Nigerian roads. At this point, you should already be fully aware of the top 5 Sign Languages you must know to survive driving in Nigeria.
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