So you were driving through the country the other day and ended up behind a bicyclist cruising along and taking up the entire lane. You didn’t know whether to honk or flash your lights or do something else entirely. So you ended up driving along behind the biker, much slower than you would have liked.

The long and short of it is that bicyclists are allowed to take up an entire lane of traffic, in most circumstances. So you must navigate passing a bicycle, like you would any other vehicle. That said, bicyclists often make room for cars to get around them–even though they don’t need to.

In all 50 states, bicycles must follow the rules of other vehicles. This means they can’t ride along the sidewalk, but instead must ride alongside cars. Thus car drivers must treat them as vehicles. The only exception is when the road has extra-wide lanes. This is about 14 feet or wider. In this case, bicycles (but not motorcycles) should move three feet to the right of the main column of traffic.

In a multi-lane roadway, the slower traffic should move to the right lanes. Holding up the left lane in a multi-lane road is one of the only conditions in which a bicyclist might get in trouble for taking up an entire lane. If you are driving behind a slow vehicle in the left lane of a multi-lane road–and its safe for them to merge right–you can flash your brights to let them know you are behind them and want to drive faster. But even in this situation, it’s not a great idea to lean on your horn. You might distract the bicyclist and cause an accident.

So what about on a single lane road? A bicyclist can technically ride along, taking up the entire lane, and traffic must wait for them. Etiquette for other slow vehicles–such as farm tractors–is to pull over and let faster traffic pass every time several cars have piled up behind them. It’s good manners for bicyclists to do the same thing, and many do. In addition, many bicyclists slide to the right side of the lane to make passing them easier, especially in passing zones. But again, they aren’t required to.

When you end up behind a bicycle taking up the left lane, your best option is to be patient and wait for a passing zone. And know that any road rage you feel might be in your head. A recent study found that motorists are “frustrated, angry, and anxious” when they encounter bicyclists. But when they encounter horse riders that affect traffic in the same way, most drivers feel “surprised and happy.”

Next, learn why Barcelona’s layout makes it better for both bicyclists and drivers, or see the rules for cyclists on the road in the video below: