# Why do people insist on honking at me when I ride my bike? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 21, 2015, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218 "2015-04-21T19:25:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/41 "2015-04-22T14:22:14Z")
Good on you trying to lose weight. And as the parent of children who were in between cars and needed to bike to work for a time, I have compassion for bicyclists. But. I live in an area with a high number of triathalons, and I cannot tell you the number of times roads have been blocked off or there have been bicyclists riding three or four abreast in the middle of the damn road, forcing me to go around them by crossing a double yellow line or idling behind them until I can pass. These are the ones that make me nervous, and because I am nervous, I get annoyed. Especially since there is a bike path not ten feet away! But for some reason, they don’t use it. As long as you obey the traffic laws, I’m fine with it. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/42 "2015-04-22T14:38:14Z")
Oh man, I don’t ride on 60mph roads. That would scare the pee out of me. It is not a huge biking culture here, because it gets really cold, and mostly it’s male bikers who are serious. I almost never see female bikers. So there’s never groups of bikers on the road. I ride alone. And of course there’s the contingent that don’t wear a helmet and weave drunkenly across four lanes of traffic. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/43 "2015-04-22T14:43:36Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Especially since there is a bike path not ten feet away! But for some reason, they don’t use it. In most developed areas, bike paths are for leisurely cruising, often with children, and are shared with walkers, joggers, people with dogs and kids, roller bladers, etc. It’s not place for a spirited ride, the roads are much better for that. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/44 "2015-04-22T14:49:16Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > … or there have been bicyclists riding three or four abreast in the middle of the damn road, forcing me to go around them by crossing a double yellow line or idling behind them until I can pass. This is one of those things that drivers just do not get. On most roads, there is simply not enough room to pass safely in the same lane, you have to cross the centerline by two or three feet (I think most states mandate at giving cyclists least three feet clearance). If they were riding single file, you would have to be left-of-center for between thirty and fifty feet, depending on the speed difference, if they are riding abreast, you only have to go into the other lane for about ten or fifteen feet. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/45 "2015-04-22T15:09:42Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > I don’t doubt that you can hear well, but I hesitate to make a judgement call on whether a rider is listening at a safe volume so I’d rather have you call me an asshole than risk hurting you. It’s OK, I can take it. > > You might look at it this way, a honker declares that you are seen. It’s the non-honkers who are busy texting WTF and LOL to their BFF that are going to ruin your day. > > Wishing you a safe journey. It’s not that you’re being called an asshole. It’s that what you’re doing is not remotely helpful and only makes things worse. When you make a sudden sound, they are going to turn around and look. That’s that point of a horn, to make you turn and look–the last thing a cyclist needs to do. I actually wonder if people need to go back to driver’s ed, where they teach you what horns are for. They are emergency tools. They exist to call attention to themselves. When you use them all the time, you’re conditioning people to get used to it and not look back. I don’t know why you harp on headphones, when car radios cranked up are far more of a problem. But I doubt you honk every time you get behind a car with someone clearly jamming to their tunes. And if you listen to the radio, I’m sure you wouldn’t like it if everyone honked when they came up behind you. It boggles my mind sometimes the things Dopers will argue about. Any guide about dealing with cyclists says you don’t honk at them for the very reason the OP has mentioned. And here you are defending your right to do so, because fuck the cyclists and fuck not startling people and making the driving even less safe. Let’s condition them to ignore honking. Brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/46 "2015-04-22T15:12:05Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > 4 wheels hates 2 wheels. > Problem explained. Not even close. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/47 "2015-04-22T15:12:41Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Back in my very often on a bike days, I appreciated a tap on the horn to let me know someone was going to pass me. I’d move over as much as I could and they’d get around as soon as they could. But a tap on a horn is not a BLAAAASSSSST on a horn. The blasters are the drivers who are offended by the concept that someone is riding a bicycle on THEIR roadway. HOW DARE THEY!! > > Well, after putting in 11 years driving big trucks, there’s not much a 4 wheeler can do that’ll surprise me. Project much? You have no idea what they are thinking. Get off your high horse. And as for the irresponsibility of 4 wheelers, at least cars don’t throw “trucker bombs” out onto the interstate. You all think people like picking your pee off the side of the road? Truckers are just as bad as car drivers, but in different ways. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/48 "2015-04-22T15:15:28Z")
And sometimes there’s a clump of 20 or 30 bicyclists. What happens if one suddenly decides to swerve out in front of me as I’m trying to pass? I repeat…I get nervous. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/49 "2015-04-22T15:22:03Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > It’s not that you’re being called an asshole. It’s that what you’re doing is not remotely helpful and only makes things worse. When you make a sudden sound, they are going to turn around and look. That’s that point of a horn, to make you turn and look–the last thing a cyclist needs to do. > > I actually wonder if people need to go back to driver’s ed, where they teach you what horns are for. They are emergency tools. They exist to call attention to themselves. When you use them all the time, you’re conditioning people to get used to it and not look back. > > . This is really it. This is not NYC, where people honk all the time. Honking is rare and considered to be an admonition. I have honked my horn less than five times in the last year. It’s the culture here, so it feels more personal when people, who would never beep their horn at another car, suddenly decide it’s acceptable to beep their horns at a bike. I invariably check to see if I am doing something wrong. I don’t think bikers should ride abreast. I think it’s a big mistake and unsafe. But what do I know. In NYS the law is bikers cannot ride more than two abreast. AND they have to switch to single file when being overtaken. > [@](#): > > May bicyclists ride side-by-side on the roadway? > A. > > Yes. They may ride two abreast on roadways, but they must ride single file when being overtaken by other vehicles. Bicyclists may not travel more than two abreast on a shoulder, bicycle lane or shared-use pathway intended for bicycle use even if there is sufficient space. However, they must be in single files when passing vehicles, pedestrians or other bicyclists (Sec 1234(b)). From here: [https://www.dot.ny.gov/display/programs/bicycle/faq](https://www.dot.ny.gov/display/programs/bicycle/faq). ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/50 "2015-04-22T15:23:23Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > And sometimes there’s a clump of 20 or 30 bicyclists. What happens if one suddenly decides to swerve out in front of me as I’m trying to pass? > > I repeat…I get nervous. What if a car you are passing suddenly decides to swerve out in front of you? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/51 "2015-04-22T15:23:53Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > And sometimes there’s a clump of 20 or 30 bicyclists. What happens if one suddenly decides to swerve out in front of me as I’m trying to pass? > > I repeat…I get nervous. A group that large will consist of club riders (serious about their training and being cyclist) The rider(s) at the back are in charge of warning the group ahead of overtaking cars just as those in front will warn of debris and potholes. They know you’re there and will avoid sudden movements. In general, club riders are far better bike handlers than most and you can count on them to hold a steady line. Just watch the back riders for signals that the group is moving out to avoid an obstacle. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/52 "2015-04-22T15:41:29Z")
Unless the lane is extra-wide (which most lanes aren’t - even in states that claim they have to be) you really cannot share your car with a cyclist. So I don’t really find the ‘OMG! Cyclists riding abreast!!!’ attitude very good. It seems to be implying that you could pass the cylists within the lane by brushing by real close if that other cylist wasn’t there. I’m not crying for you. Almost all states have laws allowing you to cross yellow lines to pass slow moving vehicles. If you are too impatient to wait until it is safe to do so you get no sympathy from me. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/53 "2015-04-22T15:45:00Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > Unless the lane is extra-wide (which most lanes aren’t - even in states that claim they have to be) you really cannot share your car with a cyclist. So I don’t really find the ‘OMG! Cyclists riding abreast!!!’ attitude very good. It seems to be implying that you could pass the cylists within the lane by brushing by real close if that other cylist wasn’t there. I’m not crying for you. Almost all states have laws allowing you to cross yellow lines to pass slow moving vehicles. If you are too impatient to wait until it is safe to do so you get no sympathy from me. But are you allowed to? As I said, in my state, it’s illegal for more than two bikers to ride abreast. Not that I think most bikers check the laws. My SO used to participate in bike races, so he made sure I did so. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/54 "2015-04-22T15:59:23Z")
Could the honking be the result of your overpowering personal magnetism and raw sexuality? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/55 "2015-04-22T16:20:33Z")
maybe the driver has had bicyclists move farther out into the auto traffic lane before when they haven’t looked. they are trying warn you to prevent that. they don’t know if you are a safe and conscientious bicyclist. they hate sharing the road with any cyclists and want to startle you hoping you will pee in your pants. put a sign on your rear; “i am a conscientious cyclist. please don’t honk”. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/56 "2015-04-22T16:23:02Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > maybe the driver has had bicyclists move farther out into the auto traffic lane before when they haven’t looked. they are trying warn you to prevent that. they don’t know if you are a safe and conscientious bicyclist. > > they hate sharing the road with any cyclists and want to startle you hoping you will pee in your pants. > > put a sign on your rear; “i am a **conscientious** cyclist. please don’t honk”. Pretty big word for a biker. I mean, for a sign. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/57 "2015-04-22T16:28:40Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Don’t get me started on the people who think you have to pass a bike like a car, by pulling all the way into the opposite lane, and speeding up, so cars will tailgate me until they are clear to pull over. Please. Stay in the lane, pull over to the far side, and slow down slightly. No. Don’t do this. You’ll get a ticket (at least you’re supposed to). By law the cyclist gets the full lane width. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/58 "2015-04-22T16:49:16Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > But are you allowed to? As I said, in my state, it’s illegal for more than two bikers to ride abreast. > > Not that I think most bikers check the laws. My SO used to participate in bike races, so he made sure I did so. I rarely see cyclists doing an out-and-out imitation of The Magnificent Seven in a lane, but in group rides you will see cyclists overlapping with each other, ie. two abreast , one behind them whose front tire overlaps their rear tire, two more with their front tires overlapping that cyclist’s rear tire, etc. It is the nature of a group ride. For some reason this makes people batshit, as if it were the worse thing more than one or two riders could ever do. But it makes no sense. If the lane is taken by cyclists and is not wide enough to share then it is taken. Doesn’t matter if it is by one cyclist or a group of twenty. To pass safely you need to get out of the lane anyway, so why does that detail concern you you? ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/59 "2015-04-22T16:53:17Z")
Hey everybody, it took some digging but there’s actually some footage online of **Anaamika** riding her bike with traffic. [Check it out!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7YOa-NWYEk) ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2015, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218/60 "2015-04-22T17:13:23Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Warn you, probably. Fucking considerate people looking out for your welfare. I agree 100%. If the bike rider is in the bike lane, no problem. If the bike rider is in the street, I’m tapping the horn to let them know I’m there and about to pass. I have absolutely no idea what the bike rider is thinking about, or if they’re even aware that I’m about to pass. I have no idea if the bike rider is going to turn left at some point. I can assume that the rider doesn’t have their head up their ass, and will look over their shoulder before turning, but the downside is having to hose blood off the undercarriage. Yuck. I understand that bike riders are probably hot, and tired, and may be trying to lose weight. I’m trying to avoid an accident, especially a fatal accident, and I’m not responsible for the bicyclist being fat. IMHO, of course. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-insist-on-honking-at-me-when-i-ride-my-bike/718218.md?page=4)