robtown

Last week some roadies posted a youtube showing an SUV blasting a horn behind them on their ride. The same day coworker sent me the link I suffered a similar fate. I was riding my new recumbent home on a 4 lane road. I was at the right side of the right lane moving between 20 and 27mph during the encounter. The left lane was clear during that 2 - 3 minutes. A car paced me at about 10 yards back continuously blasting the horn. The driver let up the horn when other cars passed him. He held the horn for up to 30 seconds at a time. I would have been very concerned if the car had been closer but I kept wondering what the driver's issue was.
In the past I've received a few short horn blasts, some of which startled me. None of them were extended blasts. I plan to dust off my sport cameras and get one set up to capture future events.

unterhausen

I think that's pretty rare. Although it was nationally televised, so maybe some people didn't listen to what happened to the guy

I've had someone refuse to pass, but he only honked at me every time I waved him around. I kinda forgive that guy because he had a rental truck and he was obviously out of his depth, but really, I'm not sure what I could have done other than to ride full-speed into the ditch.

Dudelsack 

I have a GoPro Hero 2 for this sort of crap.

trackhub

I haven't been "horned" (blasted by a horn for no reason) for some time. But, "The Horn People" are still around, no doubt.

B. Carfree

I just got horned today. I was heading down a narrow, two lane residential street with parked cars on both sides. The only way to stay out of the door zone on this road is to take the lane, which is exactly what I did. Horrors! Some motorist had to slow to 23 mph on this 25 mph speed limited road, so he sat on his horn for two blocks. Just before we reached a stop sign, he passed me and then ran the stop sign.

Maybe there should be some sort of knowledge and competency test in order to be allowed to operate a motor vehicle on a public roadway.

unterhausen

This part happens to me a lot. My commute involves a very narrow road with a 25mph speed limit. For some reason, some people consider it a "short cut." Which can only be true if they speed. They can't safely pass around an s-curve, and when we make it around the curve there is a stop sign. So they blast past and decide the whole thing wasn't worth it unless they run the stop sign.

ro-monster

Haven't yet had the horn treatment but the other night I did get yelled at for the first time since I started using a bike as my main transportation several years ago. I had made a left turn from the left turn lane and about half a block later a car pulled up beside me and the driver yelled that I shouldn't be hanging out in the left turn lane with the cars. I informed him that it was the law, but he didn't believe me, and got even more irate. Then he began to angle into the bike lane to cut me off, at which point I slowed down even more, to stay slightly behind him. He must have come to his senses then, because he gave up and sped off.

Later it occurred to me that I should have said, "The police station is right down there; let's go ask them about it." Police cars pull up behind me in that left turn lane quite often, on their way to the station, so they obviously think it's fine for bikes to be using it.

CraigB

A little over a week ago I did. Rather than dredge it up from memory, here it is, dredged up from my Facebook page:

During yesterday's ride from Carmel to Cicero, I was east-bound on IN 32 for less than a mile. While riding as far right as practical in the traffic lane, I heard an oncoming driver start blowing his horn as he approached me from behind. He never let up. It didn't bother me - at least it showed that he had seen me and wasn't likely to hit me. I actually looked forward to entering into a dialogue with him about my right to the road, and how the shoulder, while generous in that area, tends to be strewn with glass and debris. But alas, he wasn't interested in engaging me beyond keeping one hand on the horn and the other pointing vigorously at the road's shoulder, where I presumed he felt I belonged. Since he didn't stop to discuss the finer points of his argument, all I could offer in response was a cheerful wave, which seemed to cause him to gesture all the more, um, enthusiastically. Which was met with an even more enthusiastic wave from me. BTW, lest anyone worry about our collective image as friendly cyclists, be assured all of my digits were extended during my wave, and not just one.

Bikey Mikey

In Virginia at least, while on a bicycle and making a left turn you are supposed to be in the left most lane and on the left-hand side of the lane, or in the left turn stack lane if one exists.



There are a few sections where I ride and the rode curves or S-curves and it is a totally blind curve and I've had plenty of people just zoom around me and travel into the oncoming lane. One area the lane does a near 90º and there have been those who just speed in the oncoming lane anyway--someday they're going to hit a pedestrian, bicycle, or car traveling in that lane.



In Virginia, if you are traveling near or at the posted speed limit, you may take the lane. If the lanes are too narrow for you to be on the right and for a vehicle to pass you(especially if there is a double yellow line), a bicycle is supposed to take the lane.



That is considered wreckless driving and aggressive driving. He could've been ticketed for both in this state.

Back in the 80s while I was in college, I was riding my bike to my weekend job which was 12 miles away(was without a car for while). On one Sunday morning, I was on a 4 lane road with a crushed stone shoulder that was about 1" lower than the road. Here it was 7AM and this guy ran me off the road on purpose--I did travel into the shoulder and fell, but was relatively unscathed--damn lucky I thought.

NOS88

On yesterday's commute, I got just the opposite, in terms of attitude anyway. I'm stopped at a red light, first in line, and taking my share of the lane so folks don't try to cut me off with a right hand turn. A large delivery truck pulls up behind me with his right turn signal on. He sees me glance back at him, look at the traffic light and glance back at him again. Next, to my surprise, he rolls down his window and literally sticks his head and shouts, "No worry, I'll sit here until you make it into the intersection." And that is just what he did. As he makes his right turn, he toots the horn. I give a quick wave, and he responds with a thumbs up; it made my morning.

Yo Spiff

Here's my own similar incident from a few days ago:

This was on the access road, paralleling a freeway. There is a minimum of 2 lanes and 3 in most places. I was at a light, waiting to go straight at an intersection with a turn lane to my right. I was far enough up that the right turning vehicles could safely get by and I was giving them a little wave to indicate I was aware of them and they could come up on my right and turn. One guy blows by and yells out the window "Your not supposed to be there!"

Really? Must be a new traffic law. He didn't hang around to explain where he thought I should be or why I shouldn't be where I was.

CraigB

This reminds me of something that happens frequently to me at stop lights. If I'm stopped at a red light, and I want to go straight, I'll stay in the right-most lane that is supposed to go straight, but I keep to the right edge of it, so drivers who are also going straight have plenty of room to come up alongside me and stop at the stop line, which is where they need to be to trip the detector loops and get the light to cycle. But they'll nearly always stop a good car length behind me instead. I gesture to them to come up to the line, but they never do. Sometimes it seems like a miracle that the light changes at all.

Retro Grouch 

Reminds me of some of the things that team managers do to motivate pro riders to better performance during individual time trials.

David Bierbaum

I've only been horned by folks wanting to get my attention to wave and yell things like "cool bike!" I can live with "happy horning".

Phil85207

I am shocked. I have been ridding for a good long time and have never encountered such a thing. I guess I live in a great place to cycle.

choclabman

I was riding Monday in The Villages, FL on the MUP/Bike/Golf Cart path when two ladies in a golf cart beeped their horn to let me know they were coming up behind me (like I couldn't hear their gas=engined golf cart). Did get horned a couple years ago when I was in a roundabout coming up on a side street and the person on the side street thought I should yield the right-of-way to them because they were in a car. I came within 6 inches of the front of their car when they decided to stop.

JamieElenbaas

I was the jerk in the car the other day, no horn, but verbal engagement.

Early morning, dark and foggy, I was turning left onto a busy two lane / center turn lane, bike lanes in both directions road (I make this same turn on my bike most days when I ride to work). I checked right, (clear), checked left (clear), and while making my last check right, was just about to release the clutch when out of the fog and darkness comes an unlit cyclist, going the wrong way in the bike lane. He was by before I could say or do anything, (except leave my feet on clutch and brake thanking my lucky stars I actually make that last look right...).

Later, (after I had overtaken him on the opposite side of the road) I was stopped at a red light. As he rolled by, I opened my window and said, "Please get a light or at least ride on the right side of the road." I imagine he's telling his friends about the jerk cager who yelled at him that morning...

oilman_15106

Labor Day weekend riding out in the semi-country and guy in a pickup truck towing a fishing boat comes up behind me and just lays on the horn. No opposing traffic and plenty of room to pass mind you. Anyway the guy turns left into a dirveway and swings the boat & trailer out and runs me off the road. The #@$@ could not wait 30 seconds til I was clear? I was pissed and turned around to confront the driver who basically fell out of the cab drunk as a skunk(not funny) and told me(standing in the middle of a township road) that I was trespassing on his property. I reinforced my opinion that he was a drunk a$$h00l and will spend his time as a bunk mate to bubba once he does kill someone. The township has no police force so calling the Pa state police would have been a waste of time.

KZBrian

It is very rare to hear a horn around here for any reason. Sharp contrast to India. I sometimes get on conference calls with Indians when they are driving. There are several horns audible in any moment.

Bikey Mikey

Sounds like Turkey. My sister-in-law and family lived there and they said that the drivers all use their horns as signals, get out of the way, speed up, stopping, turning, merging, etc. The horn seems to be considered a communication device like blinkers.

Artkansas 

I got it twice today. I rode through an intersection on the green, and a car waiting for their light to change blasted me as I crossed. Half a block later, I pulled into a parking lot, did a 180 and got set in the exit so that when traffic on the street cleared, I could pull into the center lane and make a left turn across the street. As I waited, the same person blasted me as they passed by. I waved to them each time they honked.

howeeee

What kinda bicyclist yells or reprimands another bicyclist while the former rides in a car, I dont get it.
I ride my bike everyday, and for work drive at least a hundred miles a day in a van. I dont care what a guy on a bike is doing, I will never honk at him, never yell at him, and never reprimand him. I just have patience no matter what he or she does while I am smiling.

CraigB

I got the most aggressive horn treatment of my life yesterday. A group of 6 of us were riding in the country, and we'd just left a tiny town, riding two abreast, and with oncoming traffic being a little heavy, a large pickup truck was having some trouble passing us. When he finally got around us the driver layed on the horn and started cursing at us out the passenger window. I was leading, so all I heard clearly by the time he got up to the front was "goddamned f*gg*ts!" Then he cut in short in front in front of us, gunned the truck, squealing the tires. I responded like I always do, with a smile and an enthusiastic wave, and that prompted him to slam on the brakes and start to backup. All this with a trailer hauling a commercial lawn mower, too. We all hit our brakes, getting to within about 10 feet of his trailer, before he hit the gas and took off again.

For anyone who cares, his truck was from "Westfield Lawn Care." He's either the owner of the business or an idiot to do that in an identifiable company vehicle. Plus you have to wonder what kind of life he leads when he's so filled with hate.

Bikey Mikey

What a jerk. Morons like that are good examples of why some people shouldn't breed.

mprelaw

Found one a couple of weeks ago. Woman in a Jeep Commander. Gave me another blast as she passed me. Around the bend, pull next to her at a stop sign. Got the "why don't you stick to the bike path"? (Nearest one is like 12 miles away). I told her, I'm riding a road bike, you're driving an off-road vehicle. Why don't you go drive on some trail somewhere? It even says "Trail Rated" on the side of your Jeep.