[anoop_lamba]

Adding to the list of weird bans being enforced in various or all parts of the country, Maharashtra govt has decided to ban the use of phrase "Horn OK Please" usually seen on rear of commercial vehicles.


image source

"But it gives licence to motorists to honk unnecessarily and there have been numerous complaints of excessive honking in silence zones such as near hospitals, schools and colleges. We have, therefore, decided to impose a ban on the use of this phrase," said a senior official from the transport commissioner's office, adding that it will also help reduce noise pollution.

News source

This will supposedly reduce noise pollution which I think is silly and just one more potential point for the cops to extract money from innocent drivers.

What next? Ban on "Live to Drive" stickers as they promote driving which causes pollution?

[saket77]

That is funny. What's next - a ban on 'buri nazar wale' phrase?
Why don't they work on something substantial? And who was the brain child of this ban? This phrase is so common that people seldom notice it now.

Far from bringing out anything productive out of this ban- except for cops to make some good fast money. Remember, this is by far the most common phrase on the rear of trucks.

And my driving is not grounded on the foundation of the driving lesson material printed on rear of the vehicles ahead of me.

Thanks!

[augustinepaul4u]

Originally Posted by anoop_lamba

Adding to the list of weird bans being enforced in various or all parts of the country, Maharashtra govt has decided to ban the use of phrase "Horn OK Please" usually seen on rear of commercial vehicles.

Link to the news item from TOI:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/47114494.cms

This will supposedly reduce noise pollution which I think is silly and just one more potential point for the cops to extract money from innocent drivers.

What next? Ban on "Live to Drive" stickers as they promote driving which causes pollution?

Rightly said. It's just a way to extract money from owners. I mean, who really blows horn just by reading 'Horn OK please'. Instead they should try and make Silent zones wherever necessary.

[abhii176]

This is just plain absurd and completely defies logical thinking. Does the Maharashtra government really think banning "Horn OK Please" will reduce noise pollution! Sometimes I just fail to understand who even comes up with such suggestions!

[faustus77]

Hi everybody
If the Maharashtra government thinks that removing the sign will stop honking...well, they got another think coming.
Here in India people dont need an invitation to honk. They just honk expecting that it(their honking) would part the traffic like the Red sea.
One more thing. During the peak hours there is hardly any truck traffic in the metro cities. Even then you can hear hundreds of horns at any signal.Ergo the cause is not the sign.
They need to look elsewhere to reduce noise pollution.
Regards

[Hrishi_111]

While I appreciate government stepping in this, they have got their basics all wrong.

Implementation of existing laws is already on toss due to ineffective and corrupt system, adding new ones is just another weapon in the hands of devil.

If they are really bothered about noise pollution, then there should be random checks on vehicles and a mechanism to measure loudness of horns.

No one in this country is going to decide whether to honk or not based on slogan written behind the vehicle in front

[RishiSuri]

I doubt this will help in reducing noise pollution. People have become such compulsive honkers while driving that on empty roads they keep honking .

[SDP]

However silly it may sound, I believe this is a good thing.
Even if it just gets people to think and talk about why the govt is not ok with honking, the purpose would be served.
Awareness is the first step.

[avingodb]

+1 SDP

Horn Please dates to an era when RVMs were very small and ineffective due to various reasons and trucks still did not have indicators (informed by dad who used to drive trucks until 1990)

I think its time to write something like "take a chill pill" :P

[honeybee]

Instead of banning honking, the government is targeting the truckers.

Now the traffic police will have another avenue of corruption opened up. When will the government wake up to the more serious problems such as usage of mobile phones while driving and riding?

Major incompetency on the part of some people, methinks.

[thoma]

We all want the outcome (reduce noise pollution), then why complain at a step taken in the same direction, how much effective or not?

[r.praveen]

If this step is in line with creating awareness about noise pollution(as someone said and which I doubt very much having seen the IQ of Maha govt. recently), then, I am afraid that this is another case of half-baked hasty decisions.

Honking contributes to noise pollution and perhaps the drivers can be way more judicial about the use of horns in city traffic. But, the highways are entirely different. In India, people do not follow or rather do not even know that there is something called Lane discipline. Slow moving vehicles hog the centre lane regardless of whether they are over-taking someone or not and the traffic, in general do not take care to maintain their vehicles within the lanes. In such a situation, a prudent driver has to depend upon horns to drive safely. Reducing noise pollution, IMO, is a trivial problem when compared to other evils such Lane discipline and hazardous over-taking - things which should have received focus by the Maharashtra Government.

Besides, the stickers are used by Truck drivers generally. Stickers or not, people would never overtake a lengthy truck without sounding horn!!

[Rehaan]

While I'm all for reduced honking, this is just an ineffective and round-about way to attack the problem.

1) Honking in traffic, at pedestrians, at slow moving traffic, at... well actually most people don't really need a reason to blow their horn these days. It's not like this signage is really influencing them in any way.

2) Honking when passing a truck on the highway is a SAFETY-honk (the only acceptable type of honk in my opinion).

3) Why fine the poor truck drivers?! Fine the people blowing their horns unnecessarily!!

[mayanksabharwal]

I think the move is a positive one. Not sure if it will discourage those unpadh-gawaars on the road who keep honking, but will surely not give them an excuse to keep honking.

[sourabhzen]

Instead of utilising their time and energy on checking the road worthiness of trucks and the overloading issue, they are going to harass the truck drivers for putting horn please sign. I guess they are finished with providing basic amenities like toilets, schools and hospitals for all and now they want to focus on insignificant issues like 'horn OK please' signs.