How come there is no “other drivers” pit thread?
Oh the hatred and anger of traffic …
They make these things for dealing with wind noise, and though I have not tried them, I have heard they work quite well. They are basically like a piece of vacuum hose or fuel line from a car, a pencil-sized tube or cord that lies right in front of your ear (vertically, like some kind of ear-fairing). Try doing something like that and see if it helps.
But earplugs are a good idea too. I have done that, and you can still hear the cars (the tire noise of the quietest car is still pretty loud), but it is a lot less unpleasant when they go past you.
As a frequent rider I do not appreciate even a brief tap of the horn. You want to pass me? Follow the state law and give me the requisite 3 feet of space. I won’t need to know you are there and even with my poor hearing and the wind I probably know you are there already.
Rare is the honker who actually just taps the horn. The worst case most recently was a driver who was coming up behind me while I was in a bike lane that was blocked up ahead by a ‘just there for a minute’ parked car up ahead. Driver decided the best place for her car was with her front tire in line with my rear tire (so that moving left out of the lane was instant crash time). Then laid on the horn to ‘warn me’ that my bike lane was blocked up ahead. Yeah, that was her explanation when I caught up with her at the light.
The vast majority of those using their horn are just trying to tell me to get off their road and out of their way. Its easier than yelling I guess.
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.
Whatever their motivations are, drivers shouldn’t honk at a cyclist unless there’s a real need to get the cyclist’s attention. Because even if you know a car’s coming up from behind you, the sound of a horn is still unexpected and startling.
When I’m riding on roads (IOW, most of the time I’m cycling), I’m trying to be as consistent and predictable as possible, so motorists can pass me easily and without much thought on their part or mine. An unexpected car horn is going to make me jump.
Am I going to be able to hold to a straight course while I’m reacting? I’ll do my best, but I could easily pull to the left or right for a moment before I regain full control. Now I’m a bit less predictable, and the situation’s a bit less safe.
So I’m with the OP. Motorists shouldn’t honk at cyclists unless it’s really necessary.
Fortunately, around here (southern Anne Arundel county), a decent number of people ride bikes on our two-lane back roads, the drivers are used to us, and they almost never harass cyclists or do stupid stuff like honking before passing. We’ve trained 'em well. 
You want motor vehicles to pass you on your bike, entirely within the same lane you’re in? How wide are the lanes where you ride?
The honking isn’t for you, it is to protect the paint on the car. No one wants your sorry ass stuck in their undercarriage, wrapped around their axle, with your helmet smacking the quarter panel each time the wheel rotates. It’s not like you have any PLPD on your bike to cover damages, either.
How are your bike handling skills? Are you a confident and experienced rider? Do you weave around sewer grates or road debris? Do you maintain a steady line without looking like you’re being buffeted by every car that passes you?
Because if you lool like a nervous and unpredictable bike rider and the person in the car is an equally nervous driver, then it’s a recipe for honking to ensue.
Wide enough that I pass bikes all the time without pulling into the next lane.
Guess what? honking is more likely to make that happen, because it makes the rider jump, and sometimes not in the direction the driver hopes.
I took driver’s ed more recently and was told a similar thing. But still, I don’t honk at cyclists, only at people who’ve done something wrong.
Maybe you should stick to bike trails… ?
Honking for no reason? That’s a paddlin’.
I’ll honk if they’re wearing headphones. If you’re dumb enough to restrict your hearing while riding in traffic, slower than traffic, on a vehicle that offers no personal protection I’m going to cover my ass and honk. You can hate me all you want but at least I won’t have to have your family members look at me and know that I killed you when you didn’t hear me coming.
This. Yes, yes, OP, you told us you don’t need to be warned and that you are startled by the honking. But the drivers who are honking at you don’t know that. However misguidedly, they are trying to be helpful.
So obviously the solution is … learn not to be startled when cars honk.
Same here, Michigan, 1986, so, only 30 years ago. Generally speaking I’ve only ever done it in situations where the cyclist might not expect me. Here in China, though, everyone honks at everyone, and when I’m driving myself I have to honk at the cyclists because they do stupid, random sh*t all the time, and don’t know to turn theirs heads (neither do cars drivers, for that matter).
When I’m on a bike I tend to be a lot more aggressive here than I would in the States, but it’s really the only way to survive. I actually appreciate hearing the horns.
I’ll do my best not to be irritated by the horns. But I can’t promise anything.
I can’t not wear the headphones, though. I promise I can hear everything, but without music, exercise of any kind of just a chore. With music, it’s FUN! (somewhat)
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.
Thanks, Bubba! I promise to be safe. Like I said, I don’t want to get splatted.
When I lived in a town north of here I vastly preferred it because the major road there had a huuuuge bike lane and I had lots of space. Sure I could take my bike but while the tires are quick release, my Fit is just barely too tiny to easily fit my bike so I always end up struggling. 
nm
Went for one of my weekly 50K loop routes yesterday after work. Steady 6’ish MPH wind which I headed directly into for about a 1/3 of the loop. I paid close attention to vehicles coming up on me with my little mirror. I varied between 15-18mph (thanks Strava) on that stretch. This road is typical chip-sealed rural highway (which is louder than nicely paved asphalt). Vehicles go around 60MPH. If it were not for my mirror I would have no idea I was about to get passed until they were nearly going past me. Wind noise is LOUD! Maybe the folks that don’t like the honking don’t go fast enough to get such deafening wind noise. The rest of the ride when I was either going with the wind (sweet, sweet silence) or kindof cross-wind (noisy but not as bad) or much more slowly up the one steep grade, then I could hear the vehicles approaching.
I ride around 3500 miles per year and I appreciate a quick blip on the horn.