[dark.knight]

Dust, noise, contrasting colors, the cacophony of a dozen voices and incessant honkings are the de rigueur so to speak in Indian roads, no personal space, no respect for order and zero compassion / understanding for the most part. It's an absolute assault on our senses.

I also admit many a time I've lost it at people who honk too much, I stopped, got out told a cab driver once that I'd shove the horn down his throat if he honks one more time.

I speculate that the majority of the nation are quite deaf, so these tunes are of no problem to them and most love it even. Cabs are the major culprits and buses just use it to bully people out of their way. I've sworn not to ever buy a German car because their horns are absolutely horrendous, such a threatening sound I've never heard anywhere. Same goes for cars like Creta, the latest i10, Kia etc, truly an earbleed.

[greyhound82]

Originally Posted by Raghu M

I honk a lot. When I see a biker in front of me trying to use

Same here . I honk a lot . I usually honk when am planning to overtake , when there are two wheelers in front and during sharp turns . May be it’s my anxiety at work , so afraid about other drivers not paying attention

[Hayek]

Am really shocked at the general tone of views here. I assumed that folks on Team BHP are civilised - and for most part we are, we care about safety, we wear seat belts, we use child seats, we care about NCAP ratings, and we are a car forum where we don’t discuss speeding. But a majority of us seem to mistakenly think that honking is a safety necessity. Sorry, IT IS NOT - honking is uncivilised, and meant for genuine emergencies (like a truck reversing towards you), not to show your irritation at either traffic or other driver’s behaviour.

If there are pedestrians or two wheelers on the road, slow down, till you get a gap to pass them. I horn more often than I should, but I can say for sure that so far this week (which included a run to Pune and back, as well as two trips from home to BKC and back in peak hour), I have honked twice. The fact is you can drive without honking - just try it and surprise yourselves.

[Gannu_1]

I seldom use the horn in my car and can get annoyed quickly if a trailing vehicle honks unnecessarily. But I do honk if the rider/driver ahead of me does some stupid or careless manoeuvre or cuts across into my lane without indicators or pull off some crazy stunt like that.

After watching the recent Russel Crowe’s flick - Unhinged which is about a wild road rage incident after a lady honks pissing him off, I’m a little extra cautious not to tick someone at a random signal and draw his/her ire. No thank you!

[88_TANK_88]

I recently replaced my stock horns on my Duster with Hella Red Grill (I doubt if they are original, but they are loud). A funny thing I noted is that that with louder horns in place, I honk less than what I used to with original. A major reason is that they are much more audible inside the cabin and irritate me easily.
If everyone has the same effect, I vote for louder horns instead.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by locusjag

Anti-Horn driver reporting for duty sir! Notwithstanding your sarcasm, I'll reply anyway.

I seldom drive late at night. And I drive through thickly populated neighborhoods all the time, at times of the day and night when there are people up and about. And yet I honk very rarely. I get by somehow.

you are a saint to do that in Chennai. I recently took a whirlwind trip through the back alleys the width of a human hair around Usman road to reach the backdoor of Ratna Stores and park my Scorpio. I used more 'Anna' than horn because it works better in such tight quarters and especially when you have to break up a fight between a bunch of auto drivers in the process of getting out of that place.

In Chennai your car horn should be roughly the same circumference as your headlight and double in number.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

you are a saint to do that in Chennai. I recently took a whirlwind trip through the back alleys the width of a human hair around Usman road to reach the backdoor of Ratna Stores and park my Scorpio. I used more 'Anna' than horn because it works better in such tight quarters and especially when you have to break up a fight between a bunch of auto drivers in the process of getting out of that place.

In Chennai your car horn should be roughly the same circumference as your headlight and double in number.

Whoa! I don't even take my motorcycle to T Nagar and you've taken a Scorpio there. I was talking more from a Nanganallur bazaar area or a Tambaram bazaar area perspective...you're a legend mate. A Scorpio in T Nagar huh?

[rachitarora1985]

Originally Posted by Hayek

but I can say for sure that so far this week (which included a run to Pune and back, as well as two trips from home to BKC and back in peak hour), I have honked twice. The fact is you can drive without honking - just try it and surprise yourselves.

I absolutely agree that honking is not required. I'm probably one of those drivers who hates who is too lazy to move his hand to press the horn pad. Hell, I'm sometimes too lazy to change the gear. If I look back, on an average, I would not have honked more than once or twice a week (at max).
Apart from my laziness being the reason for not honking, I'm also afraid that the sudden sound from my honking may catch the other rider/ driver by surprise and could result in an unfortunate incident (remember your biking days when someone trying to overtake you honked suddenly?).
I've never felt that I could have reached my destination earlier had I honked.
Avoid honking guys and enjoy the noise free silent drive!

[swissknife]

OT: why are posts #15 and #16 in this thread identical? #15 is the last post on page 1 and #16 shows up the same post as the first post on page 2.
I also noticed that a message that I had posted on this thread does not show up, on any of the pages, though it shows up in the list of messages that I have posted. Is there a glitch / bug that needs to be fixed?

[arindambasu13]

Using the horn judiciously is absolutely essential for safety purposes. I would love to have a horn free environment, but unfortunately, on crowded Indian roads it is almost impossible to drive without using the horn.

I use it mainly in two situations : (1) When I am trying to overtake a vehicle and it just will not give way and continues to hog the right lane at slow speeds and (2) when I am approaching a biker or auto - many bikers on Bangalore roads are least bothered to check their rear view (many a times, they do not even have rear view mirrors!) when making sudden lane changes. Yes, there are responsible bikers as well who ensure that they check behind them before swerving into the next lane, but there are a equal number who seem not to be bothered about their own lives let alone other cars on the roads. I ensure that I honk at least a couple of times before overtaking these 2/3 wheeler dudes.

[sunnysideup_]

The incessant horn usage is one of the highest, if not the most primary, causes of stress in driving in India. I'm not sure if it's a Chennai thing, but the people on the roads here wait with their fingers on the horn pad at signals, and the moment it turns green they start honking like there's no tomorrow. I see no point whatsoever in this exercise, apart from ruining everybody's day.

Also honking is illegal, or at the very least an action that garners severe fines in several countries around the world. This is an example from Sydney:

Using a horn in any other situation currently attracts a fine of $337 or, if the driver elects to take the matter to court, a fine of up to $2,200.

Examples of situations where it is an offence to use a vehicle’s horn include:

A quick beep to say hello or goodbye to, or otherwise attract the attention of friends,
Using the horn out of frustration or anger, rather than to warn of an approach or position, and
Honking to get another vehicle to start moving when your vehicle is stationary behind it, again when this is not to warn of an approach or your position.

I understand the need for it in our country, what with the people and bovine creatures that use our roads. However, we could do with a lot less of the extremely unnecessary honking.

One a side note, I would love to add that I really appreciate the musical horns that a lot of lorries and buses use. It's very entertaining, an experience that is truly unique to us, and is a breath of fresh air from the disgustingly loud horns that an increasing number of cars seem to be fitted with.

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by Hayek

But a majority of us seem to mistakenly think that honking is a safety necessity. Sorry, IT IS NOT - honking is uncivilised, and meant for genuine emergencies (like a truck reversing towards you), not to show your irritation at either traffic or other driver’s behaviour.

I agree with the most parts of your post. But I’d honk on the highway in India to let an car/truck know I’m passing him as you never know whether the clown is aware of his/her surroundings and suddenly decides to switch lanes without checking his surroundings.

[kadanaJ]

Originally Posted by condor

Dear MadinMumbai:

please get pedestrians off the road and on to the foot-path, make them cross the road at crossings, pls inculcate lane discipline and traffic sense amongst all drivers - especially the two wheelers, and I promise NOT to use the horn in the vehicle I am driving.

Thank you.

Sir, you have perfectly captured how I feel.

2-wheelers are the biggest reason I find myself honking. They cut across lanes and drive like daredevils. Plus the occasional moron 4-wheeler who veers left/right without checking the side mirrors (many a times, the mirrors are folded in).

If the general public follows lane discipline and uses traffic sense, I too pledge to stop honking.

[Gothm95]

We have plently of road users who have no regard for others on the road. Especially autos and two wheelers who think its okay to take U turns without indicating, or switch lanes without checking mirrors or hogging the right lane at very low speeds. I've had people pull out in front of me all of a sudden with no indication of their intentions and not realize that I was about crash into them!

The point I'm trying to make is that horns are very important on the roads here. While I believe having one's hand welded to the horn is extrememly retarded, our roads and road users demand we use them more than what is ideally necessary.

[francisvellara]

Originally Posted by Hayek

honking is uncivilised, and meant for genuine emergencies (like a truck reversing towards you), not to show your irritation at either traffic or other driver’s behaviour.

I feel that calling the very act of honking uncivilised is a step that generalises driving a step too far. Each country has a different driving atmosphere, and it would be more apt (in my personal opinion, of course) to consider that factor when deciding the civility of something.

Honking incessantly to make people get out of your way or to vent your frustration is overkill IMO and a misuse of the lower severity of insulting that honking is associated with in India.

But at the same time, considering the road manners of a large majority of drivers on our roads, I think honking in situations such as overtaking someone who you are not sure has noticed you coming is very valid and often safer than taking the risk of them moving into your lane without prior indication.

Yes, honking is quite an insult in many other countries, but we cannot assume the same everywhere without taking into account the local driving scenario.