Corben

I guess after a few years of being away from the commuting scene I forgotten that the road only belongs to Cagers. You know the ones that don't think I have the right to use a turning lane or hate the idea of sharing the road. Had two honkers tonight on the way home. I have a front light and a flashing red rear light and I still managed to piss 'em off. Nerds!
Despite that I still enjoyed cruising home with the night's cool crisp air stinging my cheeks filling my lungs. Wholesome!

yarb

Sucks. No matter how in the right you are, it always sucks to be honked at.

I get the odd honker but I've got to say, drivers here are 99% fine with bikes using turn lanes and doing vehicular stuff like that. Gotta count myself lucky.

Doohickie

Smile & wave.... smile & wave.

cyclokitty 

+1 for smile and wave. I do reserve the joy of sticking my tongue out at taxi drivers who insist they are always safe and defensive drivers.

whitecat

Oh dear. I feel so bad for them. NOT hahaha! Enjoy your ride

imi

Wrong lane position for left hand turn, me thinks

oh and just a note, the bent arm signals for right turn/slowing-stopping are afaik unknown in europe

... in england you can flap your outstretched right arm slowly up and down to indicate slowing/stopping

Boye

In Denmark, the first three signals are turning left, stopping and turning right, respectively. The fourth isn't used.

wahoonc

I am about convinced that few, if any drivers in the US know what the freakin' hand signals mean either. Hell they can't even use turn signals mounted on a handy little lever properly, how would you expect them to know what the hand signal is?

Aaron

imi

I've seen lots of hand signals in Italy

slims_s

+1, here in Argentina too. The drivers here seem to understand them. That doesn't mean that they don't get pissed off I use the left turn signal to indicate that i'm changing lanes to the left (usually when it's a not-prevented situation, like a stopping bus (lots of them down here).

contango 

I'm familiar with the extended left arm for left turn, extended right arm for right turn. I've never seen the bent left arm as a right turn signal, and the signal I'd recognise as slowing in the sense of slowing to a pulled in stop is the right arm flapped slowly up and down.

When I learned our Highway Code (I'm in England) I never saw the bent arm signals listed as having any meaning at all. Maybe those signals are US specific?

wahoonc

The bent arm is the US standard. It goes back to the days of the automobile prior to mounted turn signals. The driver was supposed to signal turns, using the right arm for right turns wasn't feasible.

Aaron

RT

Stinging your cheeks? In Sacramento?

Do not despair, honkers are all over the place, and never more evident than on a Friday.

GriddleCakes

Hey! As both a nerd and a cyclist, I resent that last remark.

Also, welcome back to the road. As others have already said, just smile and wave at 'em. It seems to piss 'em off as much as responding in anger, while simultaneously defusing your own (probably something about gaining the upper hand, morally; or perhaps a humorous appreciation of the irony inherent in someone becoming enraged at a well meaning and friendly gesture).

pallen

Yeah, the honker are obnoxious. I had one guy slow down and get next to me, then peel out squealing his tires. I dont get what about a bicycle makes people so angry.

Just think of the hundreds of other cars that passed you on the road that same day and were polite, responsible drivers.

|3iker

Similar to encountering peds or clueless cyclists blocking your way.

pallen

Those dont really bother me. If you are on a MUP, it goes with the territory. Some people have a hard time with the idea that a MUP is not a cyclist's raceway.

pharasz

A couple of weeks ago, on a two lane rural road, with Share The Road signs every quarter mile, I was passed by a pickup truck blaring it's horn from the moment he began the pass until he disappeared. Right behind him was a Prius, blaring its horn as it went by me as well. The pickup truck I understand - the vehicle of choice for rednecks - but a PRIUS?!?! Are you KIDDING ME? He's driving a friggin Prius and he's honking me? He should be ashamed of himself.

wunderkind

Prius being hybrid electric vehicles are very quiet. In fact Toyota is considering putting simulated engine noise so that blind people will not walk right onto a oncoming Prius.
Perhaps the Prius driver is trying to alert you of his/her presence?

Maybe some cyclists are too sensitive to being honked at. Sometimes it likens to us cyclist ringing our bells or yell "On your left!" at pedestrians and slow riders. YMMV.

Seattle Forrest

I notice car drivers honking at each other, too, so I don't take it personally.

contango 

That makes some sense, although I'm surprised not to see the equivalent (even if the other way around) surviving in England. From what I recall the hand signals given by a driver in situations where the indicators don't work (don't ask me why they leave that in the highway code) still don't look anything like your bent arm signals.

pharasz

To me the intended message behind the horn is obvious. The equivalent of "on your left" is a very short tap of the horn - "bip bip", hey, I'm here. when it goes "hooooooonk-honkhonk-hooooonk-hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!" the message is pretty clear: "get the f-ck off MY road!"

Seattle Forrest

^ That second one is when a driver is asking you to please slow down.

exile

Took me a second, but I got it.

Last week I had some lunatic honking and cursing at me for taking the lane in a left turn lane. He stopped honking after we got to a red light but continued to curse and utter phrases like "I should run you over". I considered calling the police but said nothing. After the light he proceeded to honk as he roared pass me only to stop a block up from me in a parking lot.

pallen

Yeah, I dont know why its hard to imagine that a Prius driver could also be a jerk.