Road Cycling - how do you interpret cars horns

does two short honks sound polite to you?

does a long honk indicate 'why are you on the road, cyclist?'

does a long beep followed by a short one indicate irritation?

does a short beep followed by a long beep indicate 'hey...i'm a cyclist too'

how to you interpret cars horns?

2 short honks = polite
1 long honk = "I'm a jackass that's trying to scare you into crashing."

I don't know about the other two.

If it is from behind and longer than a second it is hostile.

If it is from when they have safely passed me it is almost always friendly.

When I pass cyclists in my car I'll wait until I'm well in front and then honk twice shortly and wave. That is the safest way in my book.

Good Question

I get a lot of single short beeps from behind me. They don't seem friendly or angry and I don't get them. I don't know if they are just a warning saying, "I'm passing you so don't swerve in front of me," or "get off the road" or "What’s up?"

I don't honk or say anything to cyclists when I'm in my car, because I don't appreciate honks because I don't know if they are friendly or not most of the time and anything said to someone when you are speeding past them 30mph faster then they are going is unintelligible to them anyhow .

I interpret ALL car horns as a nuisance. Even though I know that they are sometimes trying to warn me, it still bothers me.

How about when they beep at you when they are coming towards you in the opposite lane? Happened to me this past weekend. I was hoping it was the female Swedish ski team eyeing my quads, but it was a Tony Soprano look alike flipping me the bird. Still can't figure out why he was ticked at me.

2 short honks = polite
1 long honk = "I'm a jackass that's trying to scare you into crashing."


Same here. The worst is when a driver crips up from behind or waits until you pass the front end of the car just to scare you.

i hate car honks! they are anoiying, and sometimes surprzing

2 short beeps and it's a "hey, how ya doing"?

Anything else gets the finger. :D Sorry I'm a hothead. I had a "Lady" in a mini-van come up behind me this summer and give one of those long "get out of my way you stupid cyclist" honks. I gave her the requisite salute and she pulled up next to me with the window rolled down and yelled at me,"I have children in here"! I yelled back, "then quit teaching them to be an A**hole!" The look on her face was ......... dare I say, priceless? :D

I dislike horns

two more to add.

1. Horns plus getting cans/bottles thrown at me. (I read this post and later had it happen to me)

2. Horns plus girls "catcalling" plus swerving into me. (Okay this really really doesn't happen often, but every once in awhile)

I'd really prefer getting phone numbers written on soft pieces of paper with pictures handed to me, but I doubt that'll every happen

The California Driver Handbook states: "Sound your horn when necessary to avoid accidents. Don't honk at other times." That said, I see most honking at cyclists as unnecessary or downright dangerous for the cyclist. The driver ed textbook authorized by the state of California tells the student driver to be especially careful about not honking at cyclists. The book states a number of reasons why it can be dangerous for cyclists, e.g. it can scare them into a sudden movement, cause them to move in an unsafe direction, it's rude, etc.

Just imagine my shock when a semi van recently gave me a warning honk-honk on that foghorn that those things have. What could that driver have had in mind? Probably nothing--literally.

I think that flipping the middle finger can be provocational and dangerous. I prefer to wag my index finger from side to side indicating that the driver was wrong and should be ashamed of him/herself.

Rich

I always have the feeling that horn honking involves very little thought on the part of motorists. As I am on my bike with lots of time on my hands, I spend more time thinking about their actions than they do. That said, they (the horn-honking motorists) are a bit of a nuisance.

It's even worse when I'm hand-grazing my horse by the side of the road. Do people honk because they're being friendly or being jerks? I mean, do most people see a spooked horse spinning around its handler and think that a great time is being had? :eek:

I interpret them as unnecessary.

Sometimes, I get the short beeps like "hey, I'm right behind you".

DUH! Of course you're right behind me! For freak's sake, I'm freakin' riding in traffic! What, I'm the only moving thing on the road? :rolleyes:

Sometimes I get the long irritating honks, like "Hey get out of the road!".

DUH! Like you're too stupid to weave the 5 inches to get past me if you're too impatient to wait? :rolleyes:

That's about it. I never get any other kind of honks.

Koffee

how to you interpret cars horns?

The same way I intepret all the other gibberish people in Queensland yell out car windows:

"Hey, I'm a bigoted ****wit with no brains who's opinion is to be brushed aside with comtempt".

A one or two short honks is saying "on your left". In some states it is actually in the law books that drivers are required to sound the horn before passing a bicycle.

i only use my horn when someone can't make up their minds which lane to be in (strattling two lanes) or when there are people backing up in parking lots.

the only other issue is when i am in my car and see a fellow cyclist riding hard or grinding up a hill..... i usually give 'em a thumbs up or a fist pump our the sunroof instead of honking.