Turns 16 and 17 of the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari form a chicane

A chicane used as a form of traffic calming

A chicane is a sequence of tight serpentine curves (usually an S-shape curve or a bus stop) in a roadway, used in motor racing and on city streets to slow cars. The Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari is an auto racing circuit near the Italian town of Imola, east of Bologna and east of the Ferrari factory Traffic calming is a set of strategies used by Urban planners and traffic engineers which aim to slow down or reduce Traffic, thereby improving safety Traffic calming is a set of strategies used by Urban planners and traffic engineers which aim to slow down or reduce Traffic, thereby improving safety On modern raceways, chicanes are usually located after long straightaways, making them a prime location for overtaking.

Some tracks, such as Portland International Raceway, feature optional chicanes. Portland International Raceway (PIR is located in Portland Oregon 's Delta Park complex on the former site of Vanport, just south of the Columbia River Faster cars will race with the chicane, but slower cars (such as amateur club racers) may avoid the chicane since the cars are not capable of developing excessive speed in the lengthened straightaway. Such chicanes are used at Watkins Glen International and Daytona International Speedway, where there is a car chicane and motorcycle chicane. Watkins Glen International (nicknamed "The Glen" is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. Daytona International Speedway is a Superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Another example of a Chicane is on the Tsukuba Circuit, a Japanese track. The Tsukuba Circuit is a famous Race track located in Shimotsuma, a neighboring city of Tsukuba, Japan. A chicane was added after the 5th corner, creating a right turn, followed immediately by a left. This chicane is used only for motorcycle racing. Motorcycle racing (also known as Moto racing and Bike racing) is a Motorcycle sport involving Racing Motorcycles. It was implemented to divert motorcycles from taking the 6th corner, which is a high speed long sweeping left corner. The 6th corner was deemed unsafe for most motorcycles, as following the corner is a slow right hairpin corner. In most cases a motorcycle would still be leaning left when the rider should begin braking for the 7th corner, causing an unsafe right turn into the 7th corner.

The term is used in other types of racing, including bobsleigh and dogleg, to indicate a similar shift in the course or track. Bobsleigh, bobsled or bobsledge is a Winter sport invented by Englishmen in the late 1860s in which teams make timed runs down narrow twisting banked

"Mobile chicane" and "moving chicane" are terms describing a driver (usually a backmarker) who does not move out of the way of the front-runners quickly enough when about to be lapped (despite repeated showing of blue flag) and who thus creates problems (and sometimes costs valuable championship points, podiums and victories) for the driver behind. Racing flags are traditionally used in Auto racing and similar motorsports to communicate important messages to drivers This same term, applied to traffic calming, can refer to the usage of portable devices to create a chicane configuration.

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