Gresp15C

My typical response to ********'s is to gradually slow down, even to a near standstill. Eventually they will get sick of slowing down too, especially if they become the ones getting honked at from behind.

Litespud

NC has a 4 ft passing law, but drivers are allowed (actually instructed) to cross the double yellow in the process if they can do it safely. IIRC, the fine print says that cars can cross the double yellow if they're passing something that's traveling at or less than half the posted speed limit. However, I imagine that most drivers aren't aware of this law - certainly neither of my children ever heard of it when they were doing Driver's Ed - but most drivers IME are willing to cross the double yellow to pass me. If a car won't pass, I just let them stew. If they start blowing the horn, I wave them past, I may give them a "WTF?!" hand wave, but no middle fingers - that's just unnecessarily provocative. If it's a large truck and I'm climbing, I'll pull over. I give way to anything that wouldn't even notice if it squashed me.

GlennR

When they honk, i wave to acknowledge I hear them. I then continue as before.

Litespud

An Update:
I looked up the specific NC traffic law, and I was mistaken about the speed limit aspect -there's isn't one, as far as I see. The specific conditions that allow drivers to cross the double yellow are:
The slower moving vehicle to be passed is a bicycle or a moped.
The slower moving vehicle is proceeding in the same direction as the faster moving vehicle.
The driver of the faster moving vehicle either (i) provides a minimum of four feet between the faster moving vehicle and the slower moving vehicle or (ii) completely enters the left lane of the highway.
The operator of the slower moving vehicle is not (i) making a left turn or (ii) signaling that he or she intends to make a left turn.

John Foster

There is no communication possible with private vehicles. If a truck honks at me and I can read and remember the business name, I phone the company and ask to speak to dispatch. I say where and when the incident occurred and apologize for offending their driver. I figure that way if I did something wrong I am helping with the overall image of cyclists, if the driver was just being a jerk it might humble him a bit when his dispatcher askes about the incident.

10 Wheels

I respond when I can with Marine Air Horn Blast at the Drivers window.

Lemond1985

When you have an air horn and a hammer, every problem becomes either a nail, or someone to blast in the face with deafening noise.

aplcr0331

I ignore the asshats in 3000lb guided missiles but that's my sense of self preservation. But in this situation? It's never happened to me so I'm not sure what I'd do. Probably get over as far to the right as possible and then stop. Or hop up the curb and stop.

I'd never yell at someone. I'm not a tough guy. And I assume that some jackwagon at level 7 (continually hocking for no reason) would likely become a jackwagon to level 10 with some cyclist screaming at them. That's always a bad idea. Plus, now some white masked men have power over you.

News flash. You lost this round.

Good luck next time.

Troul 

sucks for the driver not knowing the road laws. The OP should have just kept on riding.

last vehicle to demonstrate road rage was submitted to the LPD via video.

GlennR

Not when they force you off the road.

Troul 

i'm not too proud for hood surfing.

rsbob 

Funny but potentially dangerous

wphamilton

I'm in the "cheerfully wave" camp. If they're basically decent they might regret the honking or wonder if I'm someone they should recognize, but if they're just trying to make someone miserable I hope they'll feel frustrated and foolish.

10 Wheels

I wave most of the time.

BFisher

I accept the risk and ride on.

MarcusT

I have to admit, when a driver is very disrespectful, I will apply the brakes with my middle fingers. Nobody sees it, but I know they're there

downtube42

My most memorable such incident was on a four-lane one-way street, headed downtown before the morning rush. There's virtually no traffic, and I'm in the right lane. A car comes up behind me and lays on the horn for far too long to be anything but obnoxious. I ignored him and held my line. Eventually he went around - and it was four guys in suits headed to work. Just weird.

What is that story where everyone is some iteration of you (or me)... The Egg, right? A useful concept, I just have a hard time being that guy.

50PlusCycling

If a car honks at you, ignore it, it's only noise. The driver may be ignorant, he may be stupid, he may be crazy, and all three are good reasons to avoid getting into an altercation. Even if the driver is not a 6' 200 pound Bubba Bigthumb, he could always be armed, and even if he isn:t armed, he is behind the wheel of a machine which can do far more harm to a human body than any gun yet invented. People today are too easily offended, and too quick to start yelling, screaming, and then hitting or shooting each other. If you have to get angry at any person who offends or annoys you, you are going to be annoyed or offended for the better part of the rest of you life.

Milton Keynes

With the way our country is going these days, becoming more and more divided and turning on each other because we're all so unhappy with the way things are going these days, we don't want to give anyone that final push to make them want to attack us. Things are getting uglier and uglier out there so we need to stay as safe as possible.

Lemond1985

"Turn the other seat stay"?

bocobiking

I must admit that I run contrary to the accepted wisdom of this thread, and have for 45 years of riding. If a motor vehicle needlessly, obnoxiously honks at me, I immediately yell an obscenity loud enough for passengers to hear me. For me, it relieves my stress of the situation. It has never resulted in any harm.

My favorite story: a group of college kids passed yelling loud enough to startle the crap out of me. Their car got stopped by a light a couple of blocks ahead. I caught up, put my head inside their rear window (it was summer), and yelled at the top of my lungs. Their instant panic was priceless.

I don't like being made to feel like a sitting duck doormat for jerks "out of an abundance of caution."

GlennR

When I flip them the bird, I love it when they flip it back. That tells me they didn't miss it.

I enjoy the confirmation

rsbob 

confirmation and validation are wonderful things, however you get them.

GlennR

BTW... i usually do it after they pass. No need to do it when you're in the "kill zone".

Amazed how many look in their rear view mirror when they finally pass you. I guess they want to make sure they didn't "hit and run".

shrimp123

mostly i ignore them and move on. I sometimes take it as a wake-up signal to be more careful

but, there was this one time when i caught up with the driver at a signal and she gave a friendly smile and was even nicer to ask how the ride was going. I said it was ok, but, told her i was surprised that she honked at me. She profusely apologized and said she just wanted to gentle beep to "let me know", but landed up with a honk..... we got talking and we BOTH got honked by the car behind when the lights apparently had turned green. she had the most beautiful grin - made my day.