Wait but did he even honk? Road rage doesn't have to be pure aggression. Passive-aggression can get a person further, with more plausible deniability. Think of it as road rage for the embittered middle class. Some people, particularly taxi drivers, seem to like to play mind games with others on the road. The mention of a honk and the opportunistic blame-point could be gaslighting, and it's far from the worst road-gaslighting I've seen in the Boston area.

The typical game is such: Boston/Cambridge/Somerville drivers conveniently have such horrible short-term memories that in a traffic dispute on the street, no matter who references some past event, it might as well be fake news to the other person. Cheap shots and passing blame ensue. The amnesia is just a strategy to make the other person in a traffic dispute feel petty. Usually they're unnecessarily aggressive and provoke responses, and then follow with a sarcastic response when you get upset. "Oh I'm so sorry I've offended you, I had no idea I've upset your frail sensibilities" seems to be the message they give off around here. But cars dehumanize people.

I couldn't take it, the third year I was here I started cracking at their provocation and engaging with them, and that's why I started listening to music and using a "Take-A-Look" rear view mirror on my commute. Music helps me stay detached and calm in the face of these mind games and the mirror gives me a calming sense of omniscience, not to mention the added safety benefit. High quality rain gear and an expensive handlebar bag also make me a lot less annoyed. Basically my ride wasn't a treat, so I made it into one.