Thick Skin
It’s not good to honk at a cyclist because, well, it’s startlingly loud:
I can understand the need to communicate, but horns don’t do the trick. But even when some folks use their words, they don’t really do much better…
So when find myself the target of horns or yells, I simply don’t respond.
They’re not looking for a reasonable conversation. And engaging with them might make it worse. I don’t really want to see how unreasonable things could go.
After all, does this ever happen?
So I try to let it go.
Honking is a peeve of mine. Also, many people who know me will honk and wave thinking I can see them. Later if I see them they are like “you look so serious biking! I waved didn’t you see me?” I live in a rural area, so do recognize people and their cars, but as you know when biking and busy concentrating you do not have time to look up and do not always see that it’s your buddy honking at you. But even ruder are the young drivers, generally boys who will yell, hurl insults, scream, throw stuff etc. That throws my concentration so much. The yelling and honking actually scares me, makes my heart pound. When riding on the highway I cling to the shoulder or bike lane, but in town or on rural roads with no shoulder I have to ride in traffic and boy it’s all I can do not to have a stroke. From years of commuting I understand and know why cyclists can get testy and angry. When possible, I try to take the lane and be an example of the law, but usually am to chicken and cower on the side of the road. 🙁
There’s so much honking in NYC that I honestly don’t know whether they are honking at me, so I just filter it out.
I carry an airhorn in my waterbottle cage, works wonders when you catch up to a rude driver and blast it into their car.