Do you consider honking nagging or an attack?

[TheTibetanMonkey]

Drivers argue that they are giving you a "friendly warning" with the horn, as if we didn't know cars are next to us, and in time, driver after driver, make it nagging, something that tempts you to stop and face them. Sometimes I do, but it's not very smart. They think you are stupid and that makes me mad. But maybe they are stupid and honking is their most primal reflex to make noise. They do not understand, don't want to understand, that you are there because you have no wings. That's a humoristic approach I follow. I tell them or signal them, "I got no wings!" Acting like chicken flapping their wings should get the point to their primitive minds. Forget about making sense. "Sharing the road" with drivers doesn't make sense, doesn't mean a thing actually. The lane you are riding on is all yours.

On the other hand, I some times think that we are under direct attack from drivers. They are using the horn for INTIMIDATION. That's an attack and that's bad.

The interpretation of "honking the horn" is something that has to with the interpretation of jungle language. We got to try sign language. Please refrain from the finger.

[TheTibetanMonkey]

And it happened right after I wrote about it. I went through the chicken scene and she looked confused. She was playing rat race on a back street, going to the same market we were but was not smart enough to ride a bike. The system places us on a collision course.

My species is bipedal monkey. Her species is "couch potato smoker." Fighting for survival.

[TheTibetanMonkey]

Assume that you go 10 miles and 500 cars pass you... that's 500 toots. That may be noise pollution at best and just plain psychological torture at worst. Why do you need to know a car is about to pass you? Why do you need to know you are about to die? Are you able to do anything about it?

[Jess]

I wish I drove sometimes, just to drive past you Monkey.

Oh, and sign language works both ways. I have given the finger on occasion to drivers.

[moltobene]

Well monkey there was no way anyone was using a bike today considering we had snow and another storm is hitting us tomorrow.. If ya find tooting annoying well you should of came up here for the day.. Between the crazy drivers ,the tooting I now have a headache..

[TheTibetanMonkey]

I wish I drove sometimes, just to drive past you Monkey.

Oh, and sign language works both ways. I have given the finger on occasion to drivers.

Ladies should drive as little as possible, not so they are bad drivers, just so we can admire their extraordinary beauty. As a matter of fact, these beauties came together in the UK and...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M88sF...5&feature=plcp

I like the subheading:

The film follows two groups of young women from Darlington and Bremen. Between them, they discover what makes - and stops - teenage girls from cycling. The answer? "It's the Infrastructure, stupid!"

Now that you confess to having given the finger, couldn't you use the thumb down sign. That means "bad boy, bad boy."

We should use 'Dog Whisperer' psychology to train drivers.

[TheTibetanMonkey]

I have no doubt in my mind that British drivers are less animalistic (forgive the word) and that they are more engaged in the actual driving, but this lady from the UK finds Bremen, Germany, to be truly friendly to bicycles...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxtLn...lcp&playnext=5

Yes, there's hope. We can learn German.

[Matt Meltzer]

Maybe you just drive to slow, Monkey. Seriously, slow drivers cause way more accidents than fast drivers. Maybe if you drove with a sense of purpose and intensity nobody would honk at you.

I occasionally get honked at for driving too aggressively, and I'm ok with that. People do it to me too, I honk at them. it' a give and take,

If you're going 55 on a freeway or sitting at a green light and not moving, you deserve whatever comes your way.

[Catt]

Ladies should drive as little as possible, not so they are bad drivers, just so we can admire their extraordinary beauty.

hmm - well, i am going to operate under the assumption that this comment is tongue-in-cheek, made in jest -- because if this is a true statement of your opinion, i'd have very little to say to you.

but to answer the original question --
i consider the excessive honking as part of what we get from having a huge immigrant population - since constant honking is the norm all over the Caribbean, and in some South American countries.

As with many other things, people come to the USA with all their habits intact, and many just keep doing whatever they did in their home countries. They never notice, nor adapt to, local customs and habits - cause if they were paying attention, they would realize there's no need for all that horn-honking here, since generally speaking, our roadways are generally paved, well-marked and delineated; with few blind spots, and no livestock roaming the roads.

I'm used to the constant unrelenting honking from all the time I've spent in jamaica and trinidad, so while i find it annoying and unnecessary, I don't consider it as any kind of 'attack'. People just do what they do. it's not personal .... so although it can be a PITA, it doesn't really bother me to a huge extent.

[Mailer_Demon]

While I've only experienced MIA traffic for 10 days as a passenger, I can say that people who can't live with Miami traffic won't last a day in South America. Traffic in Miami is a milder version of Caribbean/Latin/South American traffic.

[Doug]

I think horns should only be used to avert an emergency situation. I remember in New York City there were signs saying horn honkers would be fined!

[TheTibetanMonkey]

Maybe you just drive to slow, Monkey. Seriously, slow drivers cause way more accidents than fast drivers. Maybe if you drove with a sense of purpose and intensity nobody would honk at you.

I occasionally get honked at for driving too aggressively, and I'm ok with that. People do it to me too, I honk at them. it' a give and take,

If you're going 55 on a freeway or sitting at a green light and not moving, you deserve whatever comes your way.

Sorry, I never get honked when I drive. I'm against slow drivers who are usually too busy on the phone to realize what's going on in the world. And they wouldn't be such a big problem if they stayed on the right instead of the passing lane. Well, that's a concept rarely observed in America, so you find the slow pokes sitting there and the maniacs weaving around them.

[TheTibetanMonkey]

While I've only experienced MIA traffic for 10 days as a passenger, I can say that people who can't live with Miami traffic won't last a day in South America. Traffic in Miami is a milder version of Caribbean/Latin/South American traffic.

I disagree. They adopt the practices of the place where they go. If they went to Germany, they'd drive like the Germans. It's the people in power and the traffic authorities that work around a system based on profit, not safety.

They do bring their baggage but they are not stupid. Put SPEED CAMERAS out there and you would see all those wild drivers get tamed.

[Matt Meltzer]

Mailer_Demon is right, our traffic pales in comparison to how it is in big cities around the world.

Then again that's reason #455,671 why the rest of the world sucks.

[moltobene]

Sorry, I never get honked when I drive. I'm against slow drivers who are usually too busy on the phone to realize what's going on in the world. And they wouldn't be such a big problem if they stayed on the right instead of the passing lane. Well, that's a concept rarely observed in America, so you find the slow pokes sitting there and the maniacs weaving around them.

You have a horn on your Bike?? Kidding. Anyway I agree, many people who text,talk on phones while driving do not pay attention to what's going on around them... They're trying to pass a law up here that will put a Ban on talking on your cell phone ,includes texting and the use of Bluetooth..

[TheTibetanMonkey]

Mailer_Demon is right, our traffic pales in comparison to how it is in big cities around the world.

Then again that's reason #455,671 why the rest of the world sucks.

I think that comparison only holds true with cities south of the border. But even worse is our level of road rage that can easily lead to guns being used.

[TheTibetanMonkey]

I don't think road rage leads to this in Europe...

Road-Rage Incident: Man Pulls Gun -- but So Did the Other Guy

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/val...g_apparent.php

***

Anyone out there could be armed and dangerous. They got a vehicle anyway and that's a weapon. A horn usually starts the rage.

[Matt Meltzer]

Oh there's plenty of traffic in Asia and Europe too. Dense populations and whatnot.

[TheTibetanMonkey]

Oh there's plenty of traffic in Asia and Europe too. Dense populations and whatnot.

The issue is EXTREME ROAD RAGE & GUNS in civilized places... That's a killer combination. Even a finger can get you killed.

[somelady]

yeah, some people use it like it's a fun toy. tsk...