[amohit]

When I am at the red signal/traffic jam/stuck behind a stalled car, I just ignore all types of honking. If I'm moving and hear a honk, I do pay attention, and most of the time, just allowing the maniac behind me overtake solves the honking issue.

To ignore honking,
1. roll up all the windows, notch up the music system volume.
2. Think of something different.
3. Find some other interesting car around you and look that way.


Regards,

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by mooza

3. A short, polite, decent jab, more like a request (once in a minute, perhaps). This is bearable, at least.

Very few and far to even notice.

I try my best to ignore this. But at times, it can be really exasperating.

How do you deal with this, while being sane at the same time ?

Useful tips would be appreciated

Even I am looking for some,

When guys honk to get someone's attention or honking to get the door open is what gets my goat.

[neutralgrey]

At signals, I just dont pay them any attention at all. Most people, especially cab drivers, honk just by habit. I have seen guys honking at very regular intervals, even when there is no block ahead of them. Getting irritated will only spoil your mood. Earlier, I used to blow my fuse and usually show them the finger, but I found that I would be in a foul mood for sometime when I reach office or home. So now, I simply dont focus on them. You can also listen to some of your favorite music

[prince_pervez]

Turn up the music if you don't want to listen to honking. I once honked to a biker in continous rhythm near Le' Meridian Pune as he was riding irresponsibly and the pillion started dancing to the symphony. That was funny. Apparently at the next signal I looked at the guy who was riding the bike and he had a couple of wires coming out of his helmet. He was listening to Lady Gaga probably. Nice way to ignore.

[MX6]

Off late I notice that any one honking anywhere is getting on my nerves. There's too much of noise on the roads. I now crank up my music player and concentrate on classical music. I keep praying that the breed of manic honkers go to hell soon.

[aargee]

On a two-wheeler, there're rarely anyone would come behind me & honk, unless they drive like maniac. Reason? I usually spend 40-50% of time on RVMs & when I see someone fast approaching, I promptly move to left & leave them way.

On car, again, I spend 40-50% of time on all 3 mirrors & when I see fast maniacly driven vehicle, I leave for them & generally point 3 is avoided with me. For all other cases, I would immediately use left turn lights indicating that I'm moving to left so that they stop honking temporarily. I give them way to overtake whenever I find some space on left side.

Trust me except for people who drive like maniacs, all others would get struck behind some vehicle or other in few meters/kms & once again they'll come behind me, some realize their mistake & avoid honking OR still honk & I yield for them.

[mkh]

Face it- indians are probably the most uncultured lot on the roads, just accept and move on. If at all there needs to be a solution, and this was posted on some threads, invent a device that links honking with reduction of fuel in the tank.
If you honk more than 5 times a minute, 1ml per honk should reduce from your fuel tank and at the 10th honk it should go upto 5 ml
If this comes into force, what a solution!! Maybe our indian brains will find a jugaad to bypass that, but this is closest to stopping animals on our roads from behaving the way they do

[normally_crazy]

Better still - if you honk like a machine gun - there should be a mechanism that shuts your horn off after the 2nd beep for 30 minutes.

If you honk like a railway train - you can't honk for 2 hours.

If you honk incessantly, the horn goes blank and you cannot honk for the next 24 hours.

[amohit]

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

Better still - if you honk like a machine gun - there should be a mechanism that shuts your horn off after the 2nd beep for 30 minutes.

If you honk like a railway train - you can't honk for 2 hours.

If you honk incessantly, the horn goes blank and you cannot honk for the next 24 hours.

Excellent idea! And very much possible to implement also.

Regards,

[sabynag]

Unfortunately, honking trend can't be reversed. With increasing number of cars, honking will only go up. Sound (noise) is in Indian DNA - honking is just one expression of that on the road. Think of anything in your day to day life, you will notice that Indians prefer sound to any other form of communications / expressions. They make sound/noise even when it is absolutely unnecessary to do so. In an over-populous country like India, unless you make noise, you won't be heard - I guess this simple philosophy has guided us for so long that now every Indian is born with this instinct.

So, only solution is to get used to it and may be making some arrangements to reduce its impact on your activities.

Here is a small list of cases where Indian preference to sound is at play :

1. In Kolkata (and in many other Indian cities), it is a standard practice for private bus conductors to shout out the bus-route at every bus stop. It is so important that bus owners hire an additional "helper" staff per bus whose only job is to continue shouting. Very recently, when I went to Kolkata, I was in for surprise to see how religiously these folks follow this practice. As part of JNNURM scheme, Kolkata bus operators got brand new Volvo buses with electronic route display system. I was shocked to see that electronic displays were used to display religious messages (like Baba Loknath, Mayer Ashirbad etc.) while the old "sound" system of route communication continued as it was always.

2. Can you list down the countries other than India where you have seen a widespread use of sound alarm when reversing a car ?

3. A sound-based communication is made and often repeated for every plane boarding at any Indian airport. It is done despite every passenger knowing exactly which flight he is going to take and and at what time with flight status being displayed at multiple locations. You will not find this "boarding announcement" in most modern airports outside India. Even where this practice is followed, the noise is kept to the minimum by not repeating and repeating the "last and final" boarding call. In my experience, Indian airports are the most noisy ones in the World.

4. When you reach your apartment parking gate, if you find the gate closed (but not locked) and don't see the security around, do you instantly honk or you allow the security person a few seconds / minutes to turn up ? If he doesn't turn up within a minute, do you continue honking (or if you haven't honked yet, do you make the first honk) or you get out of your car and open the door yourself ?

5. Which one is more prefered during Diwali (or any celebration) - light or sound ?

[raj_5004]

This is when a good music system complete with a subwoofer helps! pump up the volume & you will be hardly bothered by the peep peeps & pom pomps! But play at a decent volume to hear the horns mildly & to hear the sirens of ambulances & police vans.

My honking practice for private cars (next step follows if there is no response):
1) Flash lights once or twice
2) honk once or twice along with flashing
3) the person is deaf & blind, overtake from left whenever possible!

For cabbies & rickshaws:
Directly honk twice, these people dont use their RVMs & they anyways dont know what flashing headlights mean.

For buses & trucks:
Longer honk with flashing headlights.

[greenhorn]

my response
1. bear it
2. yield, let them overtake
3. wait for him to keep going. If he does manage to get ahead fast, then I was probably blocking him, and I deserved to get honked at.(accept it, you are not the best driver, nor is yours the fastest car)
4. else switch on redgrilles, return favour

[prince_pervez]

^^ I have done that on more than one occasion. The guy wants to get ahead of you no matter what when there is miles of traffic ahead. When he manages to overtake by hook or crook and he gets stuck in front, I get to the side of him and look at him with a question mark: What did ya achieve ?
Expression on his face: Priceless.

[Zombie69]

It happened very recently at a stop light. There was still some time for the signal to turn green and the guy behind me started honking continuously. I got down from my bike, turned around and asked him, "where do you want me to go, there is not an inch of space to give you the way and it is still RED, don't you think it's irritating" The guy wore a blank face and was looking at me plainly. Then I realized it was not at all necessary for me to do that. How many people should i have to educate to stop this menace. Most of the people do it involuntarily, it's a habit, for better or worse, we have to live with it.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by sabynag

2. Can you list down the countries other than India where you have seen a widespread use of sound alarm when reversing a car ?

+1; primary reason being, the moment you park your car, dog/cat comes to sleep under it, few people park their two-wheelers in front, rear & the sides & if you're more lucky, you can have some people sleeping underneath the tires . If you've a reversing horn, you can justify little bit & avoid getting beaten up saying you'd a sound system when reversing.

Originally Posted by greenhorn

wait for him to keep going. If he does manage to get ahead fast, then I was probably blocking him, and I deserved to get honked at.(accept it, you are not the best driver, nor is yours the fastest car)

+10000... I agree to it 101%