The title says it all. Horn (or Honk) NOT OK Please.
Since childhood we've been grown up reading 'Horn OK Please' behind the lorry's and trucks. Am unaware how it began though, but I assume everyone knows it is to alert the truck driver to that one wishes to overtake.
But every time I step out on the street, have to go through the procedure of giving a stern look, and many times a verbal communication with people to control their honk. I feel people have gone way too far with their habit to honk, the reason am compelled to put this in writing.
Probably your driving instructor failed to inform you about these, or you thought they were too small to even bother about, or any third possibility. Whatever it might have been, it's time to rethink about letting it go.
Honk.
What is the need to excessively honk, I fail to understand. Or even honk, for that matter.
At a signal, red light, everyone are eagerly waiting for it turn green. And the moment it turns green, people start honking. It's as if the cars get a green signal to have a conversation with each other. What is the need to honk in the first place? You ain't a King/Queen of the world and expect a situation depicted in the following picture from the movie Bruce Almighty.
It's like the driver thinks that the moment the signal turns green, every car in front should step aside as shown in the above picture and make way for him/her to go. As the signal turns green, give a time of few seconds and trust me, even if you don't honk the cars in front of you will start moving. Yeah, the magic happens even if you don't honk! Voila!
Trust me, I love my country more than any other, but would love that people here learn from other nations about traffic sense. Will share an incidence from one of my trips abroad. Was traveling in a car, and stopped at a red light. We were third in line at the signal. The signal turned green (and it was a short one), and the moment the first car was about to accelerate, a group of pedestrians started crossing the road. The guy waited for them to cross, neither him, nor the car behind him nor my car's driver or anyone behind honked even "once". Even before all the pedestrians could join the other side of the rode, the green signal turned red for vehicles. But none of the vehicles honked even once, to express their anger why the cars in the front didn't move an inch in spite of the signal being green. Few days later, in this same country got stuck up in a traffic snarl. But noticed this one amazing thing. All the cars were right behind each other, not an inch to left or right. So even in the traffic, a two wheeler could zip through between any lane even with their eyes closed because the cars were in single file!
From the above incidence, I wondered if people in other countries can do it, that means it's very much a possibility and it can happen everywhere, including India. And am not talking about some hypothetical situation.
-When you see someone in the car ahead of you is trying to get in/get out of the car, you honk unnecessarily.
-You see a pedestrian some 100 miles away and will continuously honk to make them aware that the F1 racing driver is soon approaching and that if they won't clear the road, they may decide to leave this world, all expressed in the excessive honk.
- The red signal just turned green and you'll start honking. As if that's a habit, to thank the traffic commissioner for turning the signal green and I'll appreciate it with a honk.
The very first thing one needs to have is patience. Have patience, and everything will go smoothly, including the traffic. You don't really need to honk. Give a few seconds time, and every car in front of you will start moving. No one is going to park their cars right in the middle of the road. Even they have to go to their respective destination, and even they will move.
I drive from Colaba to Borivali frequently, and 99% of the times have not honked even once. There are times I don't remember how my vehicle's horn sound like. Till date, neither I have dashed into any other car or have collided anywhere or have created an accidental scene. And I challenge anyone to drive along the stretch, if they want to question the time and will reach with time difference of +/- 5 minutes. And if that 5 minutes is the reason you want to honk unnecessarily, $#&%*@ leave 10 minutes before time!!!!
Alternatives to honk.
Headlight. If you see another car approaching from the other end, or pedestrians coming your way, you the upper-dipper flasher (am not sure what you call it exactly, but hope you understand it). Yes, even in broad daylight. It is very much visible even when it's 2 o'clock in the afternoon the sun glaring right over the head. And in the evening toh perfect to grab attention of someone coming your way.
For bikers, look at your left handle index finger place (for most of the bikes), you'll see a lever written 'Pull'. Yes, that's your headlight flasher. It's for situations like this.
Don't you think this quiet alternative is great?
Just to add one more point, off the topic. When using headlights, make sure it's in dipper instead of upper while driving/riding in the city. For you the upper might not make a difference, but it sure blinds the person in the opposite vehicle. A quick trick to know whether your headlight is in upper or dipper. When you switch on the light, if the blue coloured indicator glows, then it's in upper. And hence you need to switch it to dipper, when the blue indicator goes. And this is valid to every 2-3-4 wheelers out there!!
Ok, so you don't drive.
Well, you must be sitting in the cars when someone else drive, it can be your driver, parents, sibling, relatives, anyone. You can ask them to control their honking.
We all love our own time. And we all hate distractions. These honks, to major part, add to our distractions, whether you're on road or no.
Let us start having more patience on the road and make this world a better (& quieter) place.
To conclude, had read this sometime back, somewhere which I forgot, hence am unable to give the source.
"To those who complain about the traffic jams remember, you are the traffic."
Since childhood we've been grown up reading 'Horn OK Please' behind the lorry's and trucks. Am unaware how it began though, but I assume everyone knows it is to alert the truck driver to that one wishes to overtake.
But every time I step out on the street, have to go through the procedure of giving a stern look, and many times a verbal communication with people to control their honk. I feel people have gone way too far with their habit to honk, the reason am compelled to put this in writing.
Probably your driving instructor failed to inform you about these, or you thought they were too small to even bother about, or any third possibility. Whatever it might have been, it's time to rethink about letting it go.
Honk.
What is the need to excessively honk, I fail to understand. Or even honk, for that matter.
At a signal, red light, everyone are eagerly waiting for it turn green. And the moment it turns green, people start honking. It's as if the cars get a green signal to have a conversation with each other. What is the need to honk in the first place? You ain't a King/Queen of the world and expect a situation depicted in the following picture from the movie Bruce Almighty.
Trust me, I love my country more than any other, but would love that people here learn from other nations about traffic sense. Will share an incidence from one of my trips abroad. Was traveling in a car, and stopped at a red light. We were third in line at the signal. The signal turned green (and it was a short one), and the moment the first car was about to accelerate, a group of pedestrians started crossing the road. The guy waited for them to cross, neither him, nor the car behind him nor my car's driver or anyone behind honked even "once". Even before all the pedestrians could join the other side of the rode, the green signal turned red for vehicles. But none of the vehicles honked even once, to express their anger why the cars in the front didn't move an inch in spite of the signal being green. Few days later, in this same country got stuck up in a traffic snarl. But noticed this one amazing thing. All the cars were right behind each other, not an inch to left or right. So even in the traffic, a two wheeler could zip through between any lane even with their eyes closed because the cars were in single file!
From the above incidence, I wondered if people in other countries can do it, that means it's very much a possibility and it can happen everywhere, including India. And am not talking about some hypothetical situation.
-When you see someone in the car ahead of you is trying to get in/get out of the car, you honk unnecessarily.
-You see a pedestrian some 100 miles away and will continuously honk to make them aware that the F1 racing driver is soon approaching and that if they won't clear the road, they may decide to leave this world, all expressed in the excessive honk.
- The red signal just turned green and you'll start honking. As if that's a habit, to thank the traffic commissioner for turning the signal green and I'll appreciate it with a honk.
The very first thing one needs to have is patience. Have patience, and everything will go smoothly, including the traffic. You don't really need to honk. Give a few seconds time, and every car in front of you will start moving. No one is going to park their cars right in the middle of the road. Even they have to go to their respective destination, and even they will move.
I drive from Colaba to Borivali frequently, and 99% of the times have not honked even once. There are times I don't remember how my vehicle's horn sound like. Till date, neither I have dashed into any other car or have collided anywhere or have created an accidental scene. And I challenge anyone to drive along the stretch, if they want to question the time and will reach with time difference of +/- 5 minutes. And if that 5 minutes is the reason you want to honk unnecessarily, $#&%*@ leave 10 minutes before time!!!!
Alternatives to honk.
Headlight. If you see another car approaching from the other end, or pedestrians coming your way, you the upper-dipper flasher (am not sure what you call it exactly, but hope you understand it). Yes, even in broad daylight. It is very much visible even when it's 2 o'clock in the afternoon the sun glaring right over the head. And in the evening toh perfect to grab attention of someone coming your way.
For bikers, look at your left handle index finger place (for most of the bikes), you'll see a lever written 'Pull'. Yes, that's your headlight flasher. It's for situations like this.
Don't you think this quiet alternative is great?
Just to add one more point, off the topic. When using headlights, make sure it's in dipper instead of upper while driving/riding in the city. For you the upper might not make a difference, but it sure blinds the person in the opposite vehicle. A quick trick to know whether your headlight is in upper or dipper. When you switch on the light, if the blue coloured indicator glows, then it's in upper. And hence you need to switch it to dipper, when the blue indicator goes. And this is valid to every 2-3-4 wheelers out there!!
Ok, so you don't drive.
Well, you must be sitting in the cars when someone else drive, it can be your driver, parents, sibling, relatives, anyone. You can ask them to control their honking.
We all love our own time. And we all hate distractions. These honks, to major part, add to our distractions, whether you're on road or no.
Let us start having more patience on the road and make this world a better (& quieter) place.
To conclude, had read this sometime back, somewhere which I forgot, hence am unable to give the source.
"To those who complain about the traffic jams remember, you are the traffic."
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