Are hand signals still legal?

[corco]

As for "bicycles are required to use them"... heh. Living in New York City, I encounter bicyclists while driving pretty regularly. Times in my entire life where I have seen a bicyclist use a hand signal: one. I was in Key West (yes, Florida). And it was so unexpected that when I saw the guy making a hand signal pointing left, my first reaction was to look left wondering "what the fuck is this guy pointing at?". Then I saw him move over to the left in preparation for a turn and I started laughing. I was completely floored that someone on a bike was actually making use of a hand signal. You're not supposed to warn other people on the road before you make a move!

I used them in Tucson when I used to ride my bike to campus (as did a...somewhat of a chunk of folks), but I made sure I was always in position so a car wouldn't do something stupid- if I was turning left, for instance, I'd take the lane before signalling left so the car doesn't get the idea to try to whip around me, the idea being to say "hey car, this is why I just took the lane" instead of "hey car, I'm coming into your space." Trying to do the latter is just asking for trouble. 

I used to drive a 15 passenger van around Seattle- same deal. I would signal turns but often not lane changes, because nobody wants the 15 passenger van in front of them- if I threw on the blinker, 95% of the time the guy in the adjacent line but safely behind me would hit the gas (where in a regular car in Seattle it was more like 30%)

[Alps]

I think it's different for bicycles - pretty sure it's required to use them in NJ. For cars, that's a different story, since it's technically illegal to have a non-functioning bulb. If you're driving an antique car that predates blinkers, that's probably your only "out."

[woodpusher]

Yes, I believe it's required if your turn signal has just burned out, although a lot of drivers don't seem to know what I'm doing.

[US 41]

They are legal in Indiana.

[mjb2002]

I recall that Pennsylvania's driver's manual still included (as of about 2000) the official hand signals for making turns and braking. I believe the manual mentioned it as kind of a backup in case your turn signals stopped working.

But there was a time (up until about the '50s) when the hand signal was still considered primary and any lighted turn signals or little semaphore arms that stuck out from the car's body were considered conveniences for the driver–niceties but not required.

Subsequent federal legislation has mandated that manufacturers build flashing turn signals into new cars, but is it still legal to use hand signals (instead of turn signals)?

Yes, hand signals are still legal. My friend, who is now an SCDOT worker, gives people hand signals all the time when she is about the turn while she is on the job..