I've had this a few times as well. Once or twice I reacted horribly due to being exhausted. Do not aggrivate me when I am tired! Why does this always happen later in the week after many miles?

All in all this occurs rarely. I either do not respond or give the one finger salute but every so often I engage in a debate. Once in a while, when feeling particularly froggy, I respond with a kiss or a salute.

The best method would be to let it go but I do not always take my own advice. :rolleyes:

What law?
Are you speaking for everyone everywhere? In Colorado we have specific exemptions for turning left or when the road is hazardous. AKA as far to the right as practical.
This reminds me of a motorist who was annoyed at me left justifying at an intersection. He started with the standard "I'm a cyclist also". Then followed up with riding to the right while cycling down a street and at an intersection. 2 problems: 1) I hate being right hooked at an intersection 2) There was a line of parked cars on the right. duh

Anyhow, anyone who says that a cyclist must ride to the right all the time is sadly mistaken.

Not to mention the one way downtown streets where we ride in whatever lane we choose. I need to take a left I am riding in the left lane. Plus, due to traffic I can do the same speed as the cars.

Yep, I'm making a left turn from a 4 way stop when woman in a VW bus (with a bike rack)runs stop sign to my left, then skids to a stop blocking the intersection. I stop, near the side of her van. She starts waving her arms, yelling & gesticulating, can't hear her because her windows are all up. I proceed to complete my turn, passing behind her stopped vehicle(no way am I riding in front of her!). She then rolls down her window & yells "Guys like you give us cyclists a bad name!" Sidenote: decals on her rear window "Practice Random Acts of Kindness" & "Greener Grad"

Yeah, same thing happened to me once. JAM thought I should be in the bike lane. It's darn difficult to make a left turn across 4 lanes of traffic from the bike lane. That's why I was in the left turn lane. Sheesh. You'd think that was obvious. The funniest part of this event was she turned into the Walmart parking lot and parked there to wait for someone or something. She just sat there waiting.

I circled her parked truck, glared at her, and noted the license plate number (for future reference in case of any escalating or repeat confrontations).

Road Rage disease doesn't discriminate...:(

I think I've been told to ride on the sidewalk one or two times. This is, of course, illegal. I usually don't say anything, I just give 'em a wide grin and keep going.

I had a "cyclist" once tell me I had to be within three feet of the curb. He claimed to ride more miles in a year than I have in my whole life. Apparently I give cyclists a bad name too.

What could a driver possibly have to say to me of any value?

Wow, that guy drove all the way from southeastern PA to Utah to say the same thing to you as he said to me? I heard the EXACT same story when I didn't pull into a right turn lane to let a guy pass me.

Don't know what state you're in, but in Pa you're supposed to make a left from the left lane.

I had one tell me he could not see my rear blinkie with my son's trailer attached to my bike. I was very very grateful and promptly thanked him. I moved it to the back of my jacket and am now on a quest to find one that will attach to the trailer. Anyone saving me from hurting my son due to my own stupidity is welcome.

Happens extremely rarely. Interesting enough, I've only received such advice from women. I'm defining "advice" as instructions it appears the driver expects me to follow. This is distinct from harassment or people just yelling things at you.

I prefer not to respond or I give a friendly wave. However, a couple years ago after this one woman persisted in giving more advice after I'd ignored the first part (saying I should be riding on the sidewalk), I asked her if she typically followed illegal advice yelled out of windows at her by strangers.

Does the law in your state require you to cut across all lanes to turn left, or to turn right three times to turn left?

Most states allow you to move left to turn left or to avoid hazards and to pass.

I smile and wave, with all five fingers. They're apparently having a less pleasant day than I am, so they need some cheering-up, and I'm happy to help out. There's no time to chat in traffic, and I've never had the opportunity to pause for a discussion.

I've had one tell me of a pannier coming loose. People can tell you about things that are good or bad. I think friendly communications have value even if no critical information is exchanged.

Until I know it all, I wouldn't want to cut off all communication with people who might be able to tell me something I wasn't already aware of.

Let me start with a little civics lesson. The U.S. is a constitutional republic and the laws are different for each state. Anyone who says they know the law is hopefully talking about Washington State, where the OP is from, because that's the only law that applies in this case. Here is how it reads:

RCW 46.61.770 Riding upon roadways and bicycle paths.
(1) Every person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a rate of speed less than the normal flow of traffic at the particular time and place shall ride as near to the right side of the right through lane as is safe except as may be appropriate while preparing to make or while making turning movements, or while overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction. A person operating a bicycle upon a roadway or highway other than a limited-access highway, which roadway or highway carries traffic in one direction only and has two or more marked traffic lanes, may ride as near to the left side of the left through lane as is safe. A person operating a bicycle upon a roadway may use the shoulder of the roadway or any specially designated bicycle lane if such exists. (2) Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall not ride more than two abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles.

Passing on the right is legal when:
You're passing someone who's stopped to make a left turn.
You're on a multi-lane road (if there are two or more lanes going the same direction, you can pass in either for them)

In San Francisco, when people are annoyed by other people on the road (whether on bikes, on foot, or in cars), they just honk their horns angrily and move on. They're all in too much of a hurry to stop and lecture anyone.

Advice from drivers = background noise

I read another poster did this a while back and stole it . Twice now when confronted by some nudnick I have used and it works like a charm! Also I laugh all the way home intead of seething about "What I should have said...."

I'm tempted to print this out on some blank business cards:

The More You Know
http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/85-11b.htm

"The law" is far too vague. I've had people tell me that cyclists are supposed to dismount before crossing any intersection, cause that's in "the law". Yes, it is. Namely the USSR traffic rules from 1964 or something along those lines. The person talking to me was sure it applied to today's North America. :rolleyes:

So, first of all, what is "the law" you read? Traffic laws for your own state? State where the OP lives? Just some unspecified bit of traffic law that is magically supposed to apply to all the world?

Secondly, what exactly did "the law" say? Just because you read it, don't mean you understood it. Perhaps we can clear up a misunderstanding here.

Ok...I suppose it is in the realm of possibility that a motorist could offer me some actual useful information. I stand corrected.

Having never encountered anything remotely close to that, it seemed beyond the scope of ordinary motorist behavior.

I'll add here that I've been seldom yelled at, so I'm not nurturing a grudge from an endless parade of verbally abusive cagers. However, the three times a motorist has chosen to verbally interact with me, it has always involved unprintable invective, unintelligible words screamed in a redneck drawl, or words intended as slurs involving just what a bicycle means re; ones sexual orientation.

But, most motorists I've found are just incredibly confused at seeing a bicycle on the road, and are giving me a wide berth, or generally making life hard for me by attempting to wave me through intersections/situations where they and others have the right of way.

Perhaps they're afraid that one false move on either of our parts will result in a vehicular homicide lawsuit.

Oh well. If they don't understand my place on the road, I'll let fear and confusion substitute for knowledge if it gives me a safe bubble.

give them a maginifying glass too.

A comprehensive set of links to Washington State bike laws can be found here:

http://www.bicyclealliance.org/safety/

Nah, I'd just put the web address, no point in putting the whole statute. You can bring a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.