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Blogs by Brian S. Pratt
To Honk, or Not to Honk!! 10/28/2007 12:38:21 PM
---Is it really neccesary? And the answer is, sometimes. Having been a Driving Instructor, I have been asked many times by my students as to when one should use a horn.
The answer is simple, only when not using it would cause an accident. Such as: someone's about to back into you, changing lanes when you are there, a short toot to alert an inattentive driver the signal has changed, or to alert someone to your presence like when your brakes fail and you can't stop. Other than that, honking serves no purpose other to vent rage.
My point is, honking at someone for something they did will not prevent them from doing it again. 9 times out of 10, they have no clue as to why you are honking or that you are even honking at them.
Okay, let's put it in perspective. You and a dozen other drivers are cruising down the road. The car traveling just ahead of you in the next lane, abruptly cuts into your lane, causing you to brake in order to avoid a collision.
Angered by the driver, you honk. What will he do? Probably look in the rear view mirror. What will he see? Since you braked to avoid hitting him, there is probably already a gap between you two. He will not see that he cut you off, only that you are in the throes of road rage(whether you are or not).
What else will be the cause of your honking? The other drivers on the road will immediately believe you are honking at them. This will distract them momentarily, maybe even push an already stressed driver further towards road rage.
Has anything positive been accomplished by the honking? In this instance, no. All you have done is used it as an avenue to vent your anger/frustration, distracted other drivers which could lead to an accident, and possibly pushed another motorist into a road rage mentality that he will most likely inflict upon the next 'idiot' he comes across.
Honking does no good in most circumstances. True, there are certain times when a toot on the horm is warranted, but not when it is done in anger. No one wins, and innocents could potentially be injured when you distract another driver.
A horn is a cautionary tool which should only be used sparingly. Do you really want to advertise to everyone that you are a road rager?
