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-   -   The horn menace | Indians are honking way too much (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/233955-horn-menace-indians-honking-way-too-much-2.html)

If we limit the scope of discussion to whether HORN AS A FUNCTIONALITY is required, then answer would be very simple. It is required to let people or animals know that some vehicle is coming on the road and you are obstructing its way. Topic ends here.

But the scope is not limited to just HORN AS A FUNCTION.

More than function, it is culture. In a given culture, how the horn sound is interpreted by public?

In india, majority of people consider this as INDICATION or alarm for them to give way to vehicles. Hence it is more of an accepted feature.

In abroad, blowing horn is considered an insult. If a driver blows horn, there are instances where people have gone to courts(No offence to anyone)

So, thanks to IT firms and software industries, people started visiting and settling in foreign countries in last 2-3 decades and started imbibing foreign culture in the context of blowing horn.

Now, there is a mixed culture in india. People who are still accustomed to Indian culture never feel offended if someone horns behind them. This is only AN INDICATION for them to give way. And when these people blow the horn, it is just a feature for them to alert people or animals on road to move away from their path. So, they freely use the function to max extent possible without bothering what other person thinks or interpreted.

However, People who are accustomed to foreign culture will feel they are insulted when someone behind them honks and reacts accordingly. Also, they think 100 times to honk even to drive a dog away from their way.

My view, the interpretation of the horn is causing all these issues. I will interprete it as a sound alerting me to give way. And when I horn, I just mean that the person on road is obstructing my way. I never honk to insult any individual on the road. So, horn is REQUIRED.

Although in a chaotic & unpredictable society as ours, it may be difficult to do without horns on vehicles, I'd prefer the OEMs kept its decibel output to STRICTLY within tolerable limits.

For my part, as part of becoming a more civil & cultured citizen, have almost given upon honking and won't do it in my drives unless for extreme reasons.

I have an extreme sensitivity condition to sound, can hear minute/distant noises and can't tolerate high DB noise. As a result I am extremely averse to our road conditions where people honk for almost no reason.

Just other day I witnessed one biker honking in my bylane, with absolutely nobody in sight in front of him !

Once I was waiting at a traffic light. As soon as red turned amber, a truck-wallah honked just behind me which almost made me literally jump out of the skin:Frustrati It was nothing short of a mini explosion.

I'm afraid with our fellow citizens' propensity to honk just for no reason, the day wouldn't be far when someone will connect the horn wires permanently like DRLs or new-gen bikes have their headlight always ON.:disappointed

With the current chaos caused on our city roads by various automobiles engine noises/screeching bikes/various kinds of blaring horns etc., I feel like I'd lose my sanity just thinking of what lies after the current covid-induced WFH etc. ends and normalcy(?) returns.

Ah! The good old Dewaar/Amitabh Bhachan defence. "Pehle unka sign lao..."

Well, I can't do that. So you won't do this. Basically, we will go round and round till we go deaf. Then the horn or not won't matter.

Oh yes. Those VWs have the horniest of horns. Almost like the Germans are making sure we know they are here.

Driving is an immersive art form to me. I love to observe and anticipate other motorists' actions and intentions and I let them have it their way, so that I can then blend in. I do not believe that it has to be my way or the sonic highway for them.

So I don't honk. I began driving in India around 2 decades ago, have driven successfully and uneventfully for 4.5 years in the US and have been back at it India - touch wood - uneventfully. I have never had to honk, except at cattle and careless motorists. At the very least, I've crept up on unsuspecting motorists and braked well on time, even though they've been alarmed by the car that's silently come to a stop behind them.

I can afford not to honk because I drive at moderate speeds in any given condition. Due respect is given to the unknown; if there's a road crossing, I let go of the accelerator even if there's no crossing traffic, for instance. The worst is assumed the moment any other motorist or human or animal is spotted on the road or off it.

The only casualty with my driving style is my average speed. My dad hates it when we go on long roadtrips. Of course, there are other aged people in the extended family who love the predictability that comes with being in the back seat when I drive. And yes, my brother in law scolds me to honk to avoid accidents...so that's that, a mixed bag.

BTW, I have been driving with my Hondas and they have the tinniest of all horns. I've never felt the need to get one of those blasting tooting things that VWs and Hyundai have.

A friend of mine very rarely uses the horn. He is on phone through out his drive. Goes at a steady pace, irrespective of conducive conditions (within limits). Doesnt care what is happening around him. May be everyone should be like him ?

I drove in the US and not once did I use the horn. Back to India, I can't take my hand off horn. There is no scarcity of stupidity in city, in highway the moment a car changes direction by an inch while overtaking, I use horn liberally. I think noise pollution is better than an accident. If at all manufacturers make this optional- good, I will go and get the loudest ones aftermarket.

Yes, it's amazing how well this works. I always have stand-up comedy loaded while driving, the traffic doesn't bother as much and I am unusually patient and LOLing all the way too rl:

I think decibel control is more important, some horns are unnecessarily extra loud. We don't hear it inside the car but poor pedestrians and traffic cops bear the brunt of it.

I usually prefer flashing headlights over honking horns. People are so immuned to horn honks that they rarely react, but a flashing light especially when it reflects in the IRVM get prompt response!


Horn is more an expression of exasperation.

Honking is an essential accessory. I would never want it to be optional.

Yes loud and unnecessary honking is bad but given our road conditions, horn is necessary.

With heavy challans, smaller vehicles may drive sensibly but our country is far away from disciplining the jaywalkers and govt buses. Nothing has even started till now to curb jaywalking menace.

Highways are open to all kind of creatures.

People just come at crazy speeds at blind curves.

Also some drivers tend to sleep off during night rides. Honks will atleast avoid them from going into REM sleep. I recently experienced this on a cab ride.
My cab was going to hit another vehicle. A timely honk make him come out of his sleep.

Honking is the only way to make your presence felt on the road in such situations.

I concur that horn-y drivers are a menace, and, they love to blow it anytime anywhere. But, why blame the horn and make it optional? If used sensibly, it is an important safety device too, for pedestrians and vehicles alike.

Instead, just pipe-in the horn at 2-3 times the amplification INSIDE the cars through all the speakers or tweeters. Or, I realize this is stretching it too far, but still, design very small and tiny tasers in the horn button which get activated if you try blowing too hard! This second solution may work on 2 wheelers too.

I love it! This sounds like a good plan. All those pretending that they use the horn only as a "safety device" should have no problem if it toots in their ear as well. after all "SAFETY".

My previous car's horn stopped working. I got it checked in the service station and they said the entire steering assembly would have to be changed! So I kept driving without a horn for a good 2 years.

There was a usual frustration when a slow driver or rider would block your lane and would not budge, or a bus/auto would stop in between the road. And I had to very carefully plan any overtaking move, well in advance.

As a result, the usual drives became slightly longer (may be 5 minutes more for 1 hour usual drive) and I became a sedate driver. Only time I missed the horn badly is when coming back to home late and society driver was asleep. Had to come out of the car and beat the main gate to make some noise high enough to wake him up.

It was not easy, but certainly doable. And this is in Gurgaon/NCR - up until December 2020 (when I finally bought a new car).

I am frankly & sheepishly in love with those MUSICAL horns of trucks which play almost the first stanza of a song and boy, are they loud!!
Honking is in the blood of India & if horns are removed then verbal abuses will take over and it is not that this is not happening now too,
because in some Indian geographies, horns & hurled abuses go together.

I usually follow single honk method but I can't resist using horns on turns or crossings - I again follow double beep method, just to make THE road user aware of my presence.

But I believe that horns can also save lives; For example, if the car falls in ditch & someone conscious or incapacitated can honk & attract attention OR using horns, if you end up ferrying a medical emergency (lady going into sudden labour is most common emergency) or accident victim.

Rgds.