As a cyclist I know and use traffic hand signals as a habit while
riding,
blading, or otherwise following the flow of traffic. I find it disconcerting how few others are able to interpret them: even other cyclists who should know better end up just pointing to where they are going to turn because so few motorists comprehend the signals.
To sate my curiousity I checked in the driver's instructional manual for the State of Massachusetts and confirmed that hand signals are described. The incredibly low requirements for attaining such a license do not ensure that most actually learn or retain the information: a regretable state of affairs.
Are traffic hand signals are destined to follow Morse Code into functional trivia?