[srishiva]

I use the horn atleast once or twice everyday. Its required to warn the other road users who dream while driving or think they are the only ones on road. Some vehicles change lanes or try to turn without indicating and the only way to let them know that some other vehicle is next to them is by a small honk.

[pratyush6]

I hate honking and I also think people have become more or less immune to it. The absolutely only time I honk is when I have to take a rather close left or right and maybe someone is daydreaming and becomes a threat to safety on the road.
Honking in traffic is rather useless.

[tanwaramit]

I hate honking big time. Try to avoid it all costs, just use it to avoid banging into someone when unavoidable.

The horn used on Indian roads are so high, that whenever I keep my windows down, I get irritated by the horn on the roads. I love driving with windows roll down, but the others are trying to make me deaf which means I need to roll up the windows. Then I need to use AC, which impacts the speed and mileage of my Santro. Sad, but cant help.

[Sherlocked]

Even though I don't honk extensively but do use it on regular basis.
For eg. where I live there are various small intersections, small lanes with blind spots while turning and several children playing, cycling and to top it all there is a girls college and hostel nearby so we do get to see various Splendors and Bullets roaming here and there. You get the picture, right. And even though these guys are always at slow crawling speeds but sometimes they do go hard on the throttle as well so its for their safety and saving some trouble later for myself that I have to honk at every turn in my locality and now it has become a habit.

Another time when I honk is when I am moving in the fast lane and some guy is occupying both the lanes, usually I use dipper in such situations but if that doesn't work or if the car in front has its ORVM close then I do have to honk.

Lets be honest here, we live in India and there is very little respect for traffic rules or the lives of fellow motorists so IMO there shouldn't be any term such as NO Honking at all but yeah honking at traffic jams or at slow moving traffic or nearby hospitals or schools should be avoided.

To sum it up, we should honk but in a responsible way. Its a good safety feature.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by Sherlocked

.

Lets be honest here, we live in India and there is very little respect for traffic rules or the lives of fellow motorists so IMO there shouldn't be any term such as NO Honking at all but yeah honking at traffic jams or at slow moving traffic or nearby hospitals or schools should be avoided.

To sum it up, we should honk but in a responsible way. Its a good safety feature.

Agree.

I hate it when someone away from the zebra crossing, honks as soon as the signal turns green , like the rest of the vehicles in front of him have to disappear.

There are some bright sparks I noticed recently , especially two wheeler's, who honk just for the heck of it and do it at regular gaps. Like how a kid will play with the horn button.

I make sure I honk without a thought when I am about to overtake a two wheeler and when there are pedestrians on road. Two wheeler's for me are like razor blades floating in water. Unpredictable.

[Rajeevraj]

Difficult to survive without honking considering our unpredictable roads and traffic. But generally try to keep it to a minimum. And when I do honk, it is mostly one small beep. Almost like 'I am sorry but I had to honk. Please don't be offended'

The fact that I drive a VW helps. Horns are more difficult to press and are loud. So a small beep mostly works.

[parambyte]

Every time I travel abroad, I notice how, even in the dense traffic of London or NYC, people patiently wait without thinking, while someone is attempting a turn or unloading or crossing the road or is confused about directions.

In our own cities, the traffic noises due to bleating horns are becoming unbearable. The moment a signal turns green, if I slow down to let someone cross the road, If one is a little confused about which left to take, the unthinking impatient motorist behind will take to the horn!

I have almost stopped using my car horn (unless or course absolutely necessary) for the last 4/5 years and have loved it.

Can we as the large Team-Bhp members make a conscious attempt to stop honking all the time? Can we maybe also have stickers which urge people 'Horn Not Ok' or something like that? Can we attempt to help reduce our roads' noise pollution, even if just by a little bit?

[sanmish]

Even though I don't like it, I end up honking quite a bit. The reason being the unpredictable behavior of autos and two-wheelers who like to cut in and out of lanes without even a glance as to who is coming behind. I genuinely try to avoid honking but I have become wary after a few close calls. So a short, sharp honk helps from time to time.

[luvDriving]

Honking is a necessary evil - that is very evident from today's traffic. But consciously avoiding the horn or at least keeping it to a bare minimum has its own benefits.

I keep the honking to a bare minimum mostly because it usually has no effect other than increasing my blood pressure due to the other person not taking any notice at all.

[swissknife]

I can proudly say that I am a "no honking" driver. I have been riding / driving for decades now and I have not had any urge / necessity to use the horn though I have driven in many places in the country. I am not a crawler on the road by any means. However, I can say that I don't change lanes without letting vehicles behind me on both lanes (from where I am moving and to where I am moving) know that I am doing so. My indicators has served me well in helping me do this. I use my rear view mirrors extensively and ensure that unless I am sure that is safe for both vehicles, I don't change direction.

In addition, I observe the driver of the vehicle in front of me. There are 3 types that I have noticed
1. Those who have their wing mirrors open and have their cabin rear view mirror set correctly. I check to see if they look in them and it gives me a fair amount of confidence when such drivers are ahead of me.

2. Those who have their wing mirrors closed, but who may have their cabin rear view mirrors set correctly. Now, for such drivers, I make sure that I don't stay in their blind spots.

3. Those who are not bothered about their rear view mirrors! Now, this is where it gets a bit tricky. I try to stay as away as possible from such drivers. If I am passing such vehicles, I stay as far away from them and keep them in my eyesight to take note of every move they may make while giving myself a few options to avoid any collision. These include making sure I have braking options, evasive actions etc. Yes, it is tough. At times, I have had to use the horn to "wake" such people up, but they have been so far and between.

And yes, there have been times when I have used my horn to let another driver/rider know that they have done something that is not becoming of a good road user.

I can also say I have never honked at any pedestrian!

In addition, I have learnt to ignore honks of other drivers who honk to let you know that they exist, FYI, wish to wake you up before the signals go green and whatever else.

I liked a sticker on a fellow tbhpian's (Captain Rex) car that read "The more you honk, the slower I will go".

[neeravnaik]

Without driving and lane discipline it is tough to follow no horn driving. While driving in hills on curving roads you have to use horns to warn idiots rushing from the other side of the curves driving on insane speeds and out of lanes

[jinojohnt]

I never used to honk extensively, but have stopped honking altogether after moving to an apartment that faces the highway. I am amazed at why people honk even when the road is empty at midnight. If you do not drive like you are outpacing a volcanic eruption, you really don't need to honk. In fact, I don't honk even once a month. Trust me, if you stay near the highway, you'll soon start thinking about pointing the barrel at anyone who honks.

[aerohit]

Would love to develop a sound cancelling device to end their menace.

[nitinbose]

People are used to being aggressive and they tend to believe by being aggressive, they can get their way ahead of other people, whether they're fair or not. Hence honking! Furthermore, people are also used to being shouted at, especially the lesser privileged, who may not fully understand the traffic norms/laws, they may not move or give way if lights are flashed or indicator is used but a loud honk serves the purpose.

Only enlightenment can solve such issues but nobody is interested or has the time!

[CAPTAIN REX]

I keep my honking to the minimum, yet one of the first things I get upgraded on the car is the horn. Presently got a set of Hella Chrome on the TUV, and they are pretty loud, and startling if heard at close ranges. While passing through narrow streets where maneuvering between the people is not possible, I usually give a small tap on the horn pad to get people give me some way to go ahead.

I usually do not honk at pedestrians, and if I am at a reasonably slow speed, stop to let them pass if they are waiting at the zebra crossing, but I do honk at the people standing on top of the center medians and the roads, especially on the OMR, where there are a few pedestrians over-bridges to cross. They stand there waiting to jump and dart across the fast moving traffic.

I get irritated when people honk from the back in slow moving traffic, when waiting at traffic signals etc.
When people do that, I usually wind down the glass, point at my roof and signal for them to go over my roof. This gesture has usually reduced the frequency, but they still won't stop completely.

Originally Posted by swissknife

3. Those who are not bothered about their rear view mirrors!

They actually are bothered. The mirrors (esp on the bikes) are adjusted for the rider to see the sky. In the past few days the rains in Chennai have been very unpredictable.

And yes, there have been times when I have used my horn to let another driver/rider know that they have done something that is not becoming of a good road user.

I do that, esp with the bikes and autos that dart across inches from my bonnet, and blast the horn when I know that their ear is the closest to my horn.

I liked a sticker on a fellow tbhpian's (Captain Rex) car that read "The more you honk, the slower I will go".

Here is the sticker. I still have 3 to 4 of them left. Anyone, from Chennai, if interested in having one please let me know.