How do you deal with a car honking at you? Today I yelled back
11-15-20, 01:53 PM
#51
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Drivers here in Fl are pretty good. If someone honks, I move over a bit, if I can.
I tend to stereotype and here in central Florida, folks who honk are usually the skill-compromised elderly, or armed good ol’ boys driving beater lifted pick-ups. No need to piss either off, I figure.
I tend to stereotype and here in central Florida, folks who honk are usually the skill-compromised elderly, or armed good ol’ boys driving beater lifted pick-ups. No need to piss either off, I figure.
11-15-20, 02:33 PM
#52
Member
I have been riding for 40 years doing tons of miles and have had just about everything happen to me including being shot at and hit and knocked into a ditch by a boat (on a trailer). Spit on, yelled at more times than I can count, cherry bombs, boat air horns in my ear, milkshakes in the face, bottles, you name it. I don’t take it personally.
11-16-20, 12:12 PM
#53
Junior Member
Yes happened to me when I was riding the Pacific Coast bike route through the Avenue of the Giants, two young men in a pick up truck- "YELLED GET THE **** OFF THE ROAD". This is part of the route, I was on the RHS and no traffic so passing me was not an issue. I had no other incidences. My view is just pull over let them pass. No point saying anything or doing anything to provoke them. In the end if these rednecks decide to "run you off the road" with their truck in a tantrum you don't have a chance, so better to just ignore them and let them pass. It does seem these incidences are always men n trucks!
11-16-20, 12:18 PM
#54
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Ignore it unless they are trying to get you attention for something important like you dropped something or your light went out or something like that. Sometimes you just have to put on those adult pants and just let it go. Cars can suck a lot of the time but honks don't really tell you much so it might behoove you sometimes to just not react. I sometimes now just smile and wave or yell back "love you too" and that makes them madder but keeps you positive.
If it's a jerk it doesn't matter as they now at least possibly feel like one or their wife tells them off. Don't worry be 'appy!
Last edited by alanf; 11-16-20 at 12:23 PM. Reason: poor wording
11-16-20, 12:37 PM
#55
Senior Member
It takes a lot more than a "few seconds" if you're doing it continuously, though. Giving up your right-of-way for courtesy's sake can be an endless cycle - pardon the pun. Every place I know of, a bike can be considered an 'obstacle' and can be passed wherever there is sufficient room to do so safely - double yellow or not. (No-passing zones are based on the passee going near the speed limit and the passer doing 15 mph more. Passing a bike takes much less room.)
11-16-20, 12:59 PM
#56
Junior Member
I was on Home Mountain Road in Woodside. This white truck honked at me. So I started to speed up a little and it kept honking. I moved as far to the right as possible. There were no other cars and plenty of room for the truck to pass me and it just kept on honking.
I got off my bike and yelled at the top of my lungs, ''What the F****!!!!'' And they just drove off. Looked like a couple of older caucasian men in masks. But the point is why wouldn't they just pass me? They had plenty of room and time, no cars around. Has this every happened to you? I don't know what else they wanted me to do. I was all the way to the right and there was plenty of room, but they wouldn't pass me and just kept on honking. It really made me wanna do something and so that's why I snapped at them.
Just imagine if this was Kings Mountain Road and you couldn't go any faster up the hill. I still am confused as to what they were doing. Have they never seen a cyclist before? Do they think I'm not supposed to be on the road? I was so furious. Maybe that's why they didn't react to me and just drove off. Luckily they weren't 2 tough guys. But I wasn't having it. I screamed viciously.
I got off my bike and yelled at the top of my lungs, ''What the F****!!!!'' And they just drove off. Looked like a couple of older caucasian men in masks. But the point is why wouldn't they just pass me? They had plenty of room and time, no cars around. Has this every happened to you? I don't know what else they wanted me to do. I was all the way to the right and there was plenty of room, but they wouldn't pass me and just kept on honking. It really made me wanna do something and so that's why I snapped at them.
Just imagine if this was Kings Mountain Road and you couldn't go any faster up the hill. I still am confused as to what they were doing. Have they never seen a cyclist before? Do they think I'm not supposed to be on the road? I was so furious. Maybe that's why they didn't react to me and just drove off. Luckily they weren't 2 tough guys. But I wasn't having it. I screamed viciously.
11-16-20, 04:19 PM
#57
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I'm of the school where it's better to ignore honking like this. That said, school wasn't always my thing.
I've yelled back a few times. It was road rage, and it's bad. Always ended well so far.
the thing is, it's a kind of bluff, like in poker, you're putting more in the kitty
The stakes get higher. Probably higher than it's worth.
Get out while you still have a head!
I've yelled back a few times. It was road rage, and it's bad. Always ended well so far.
the thing is, it's a kind of bluff, like in poker, you're putting more in the kitty
The stakes get higher. Probably higher than it's worth.
Get out while you still have a head!
11-16-20, 04:25 PM
#58
Senior Member
I wave back or ring my bell to say hey back. But then usually its someone saying hello here. They holler at me too, but only to say they like the pretty lights, this time of year riding in the dark we have christmas lights on our bikes and it makes a cheerful sight. Its the good part of living in a small town.
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11-16-20, 07:49 PM
#59
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I was climbing some hill in podunk town southern Indiana when some pickup truck guy was yelling crap at me from a distance. Before flipping him off, I listened carefully to figure out what he was saying. Then I realized it was "GITERDONEGITERDONEGITERDONE!"
which is southern Indiana for "Allez allez", so you never know.
which is southern Indiana for "Allez allez", so you never know.
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11-18-20, 11:34 AM
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I have horns on all my bikes (mostly commuter), so if I get honked at, I usually honk back. I do my best to do the same duration as the initial honk. So I'm just returning whatever their intent was. I don't usually bother to see if there's a reaction. 
11-18-20, 02:01 PM
#61
Newbie
Glad you're safe, that's key. The way that some motorists is infuriating, and we are clearly at a material disadvantage. However, I recommend to all my cycling friends to record their rides. I do and it has helped in a couple cases when reporting to employers. Police in the US won't respond until a cyclist has been hit, but in other countries (Australia) there is progress.
Whether you use GoPro, or something else like Cycle IQ bike cameras with lights (front and rear), you should use something to record your rides. Look at upside.cc where the videos are loaded by users and indicated on the map as to where the event happened. WIth a growing database cyclists can put more pressure on municipalities to help enforce better bike safety. We need more signs posted, more bike lanes with paint, and generally need support BEFORE car-on-bike events happen.
Be safe.
Whether you use GoPro, or something else like Cycle IQ bike cameras with lights (front and rear), you should use something to record your rides. Look at upside.cc where the videos are loaded by users and indicated on the map as to where the event happened. WIth a growing database cyclists can put more pressure on municipalities to help enforce better bike safety. We need more signs posted, more bike lanes with paint, and generally need support BEFORE car-on-bike events happen.
Be safe.
11-18-20, 06:49 PM
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Be careful yelling at someone who honks at you. One day an older gentleman honked at me, I suppressed the urge to get upset and yell, or offer a hand gesture. I'm glad I did. He was honking to let me know my bag had come partially unhooked from my rack, and was leaning off, looking like it was ready to fall off.
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11-19-20, 12:57 AM
#63
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Folks can be jerks. I was riding in coyote park and someone going the other way honked and yelled because I was not on the path. I let him know he was #1
11-19-20, 05:00 AM
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I just had this happen to me recently about a mile from my house. It’s a 45 mile zone and 4 lanes with a divider. I was in the right lane close to the shoulder and this lady got ride behind me and slammed her horn on. Scared the hell out of me and caused me to to swerve into an entrance ramp for a highway. When I looked over my shoulder she’s cussing and waving her hands. Now I am pissed, not only did she have room to pass me in her lane. she had another lane on the left to pass me. Traffic was light. I got back in the lane that I was in, and at this point took the whole lane. I didn’t have anywhere else to go, and I have every right to be where I was. She gunned it passed me close, and I let her know how I feel in so many words.
Hindsight I wish I didn’t tell. I was taken by surprise, never had this happen before. It was also extremely hard for me to not throw a punch. I had to use all of my will power. Punch, I would have prolly missed and fallen off over in the middle of the road and ended up road kill.
Hindsight I wish I didn’t tell. I was taken by surprise, never had this happen before. It was also extremely hard for me to not throw a punch. I had to use all of my will power. Punch, I would have prolly missed and fallen off over in the middle of the road and ended up road kill.
