Horn abuse!

[kingsrings]

I was once at a left-hand turn lane and the light turned green, then immediately to yellow and red. The lady in front of me started to go, but when the yellow came on, she immediately slammed on her brakes and stopped. I almost rear-ended her and honked to let her know. She got out of her car, over to mine, and screamed that she was sorry, but she didn't want to get a red-light ticket. Yeah, but you probably don't want to be rear-ended even worse, wouldn't you? Especially in a state where it is automatically the rear-ender's fault (lovely CA law) no matter what. This woman was very nicely dressed and coiffed and was driving a nice car. Don't ever let anyone tell you that class plays a role in stuff like this.

[Athos_000]

ugh the horn guy! I get seriously nervous when people start honking at me for no reason other than that they are in too big of a hurry, it makes me drive slower because I am so nervous. Because of this I don't think I have ever honked at anyone. I probably would if it would prevent an accident but thankfully that has never happened.

So to all of the horn guys out there - congratualtions! honking at me like a maniac just cost you an extra minute or two.

[Morty'sCleaningLady]

I just tell myself that they are honking to get my attention, because I'm cute.

Seriously, there are bad drivers out there.  There are obnoxious drivers.  Don't put yourself in jeopardy because a bad, obnoxious driver behind you didn't leave five minutes earlier.

[ChristiKayAnn]

First of all, I wonder if any of the musical members got the same vision I did from the title, of someone beating up a trumpet.

My nephew would have gone there! The kid is music obsessed. If given a choice between playing an instrument (he plays about 5 that I know of: 3 brass, 2 string, and piano) and eating he will choose music everytime.

(I sometimes wish horn manufacturers would give us several different tones to use - one for "polite requests", one for "&*(@" (which e-hellions of course would not use), and one for "look out, you're about to kill someone/get killed yourself!")

My fantasy horn has 6 buttons:
1)the light is green
2)your lights are off
3)your blinker is on
4)look out!
5)custom button that can be individually programed

I have been wishing for a horn like this for years.

[merkay]

Here in Chicago, people use their horn to indicate that they are coming out of the alley and turning onto the street.  This drives me absolutely crazy.  Honking as you speed out of the alley isn't going to make a bit of difference to the poor sap who only has time to look up and see you barrelling at them.   

[Slartibartfast]

I think all cars should come equipped with the horn my car has - it sounds a bit like the Roadrunner "Beep beep!" and it makes me feel stupid to use it, so even when I am very mad I hold back.  Nothing like realizing you've got massive road rage and your only method of communication with other drivers is the acoustic equivalent of a clown's squirting flower!

Maybe if everyone's car horn sounded as stupid as mine does, they would only be used for emergencies.

[Spring Water on Sundays]

There was a comedian (Mitch Hedberg, maybe?) who had a bit about how we should have a set number of honks of the horn per year. Then, when someone cuts you off in traffic and you lay on the horn and nothing comes out, you can only regret that you saw Johnny walking down the street last week 

I was in a left turn lane once at a very dangerous intersection. When the green arrow came up, I lifted my foot off the brake, and before I could even get my foot on the gas pedal (I'm quite young and agile, so it was maybe half a second!), the guy behind me was honking at me to go.

I only honk at people if they've done something incredibly stupid and careless that, had I not been paying attention, would have caused me to get into an accident. I hope it embarasses them for at least a second.

[MrsP81]

I think all cars should come equipped with the horn my car has - it sounds a bit like the Roadrunner "Beep beep!" and it makes me feel stupid to use it, so even when I am very mad I hold back.  Nothing like realizing you've got massive road rage and your only method of communication with other drivers is the acoustic equivalent of a clown's squirting flower!

Maybe if everyone's car horn sounded as stupid as mine does, they would only be used for emergencies.

Haha. My Mom's car had a horn like this (we actually called the car Roadrunner) and it was terrible to use it. Once something went wrong when we were driving and the horn beeped continuously until we could get a gas station attendant to remove whatever part it was. That was humiliating!

[Rose2Bear]

I think all cars should come equipped with the horn my car has - it sounds a bit like the Roadrunner "Beep beep!" and it makes me feel stupid to use it, so even when I am very mad I hold back.  Nothing like realizing you've got massive road rage and your only method of communication with other drivers is the acoustic equivalent of a clown's squirting flower!

Maybe if everyone's car horn sounded as stupid as mine does, they would only be used for emergencies.

Haha. My Mom's car had a horn like this (we actually called the car Roadrunner) and it was terrible to use it. Once something went wrong when we were driving and the horn beeped continuously until we could get a gas station attendant to remove whatever part it was. That was humiliating!

HA have you seen Little Miss Sunshine? There's a part in there a lot like that (the continual horn beeping)!

[Yarnspinner]

I posted this tale to the regular page, but it's worth repeating. 

Last year we were hit by a late winter ice storm.  The powers that be, in their infernal wisdom, knew it was coming but didn't send us home until---the height of the storm.  We had to leave, couldn't stay at work and...yeah, we all wanted out.  BUT those two extra hours were worthless....

....to me.

My normal route home is a major highway I can see from the library.  It was a parking lot.  So I decided to cut across town.  And eventually got stuck two cars ahead of Mr. "My Horn Is Bigger Than Yours."  We are sitting on a side street, there are TWO cops at the intersection, the main road is blocked off and we are being allowed through two at a time.  This guy isn't just beeping--he's leaning on it.

The woman ahead of him got out and explained to him the situation.  He apparently called her some select names.  At least I recognized a few of the words he called her and some of the acts he suggested she perform on herself.

We got moving again.  She went to the left (lucky girl) and I got stuck with him on my case. 

He HONKEd and HONKED as if, maybe, he thought there was a piece of equipment in my car that would cause mine to levitate if he honked long enough and he would be free to drive under my offending car.

We finally reached what was the worst intersection:  there were at least three cars spun out and stuck, wheels spinning in the ice and snow.  No where to go.  Literally.  I waited and this jerk kept honking.  I raised my hands to show there wasn't really anything I could do.  He gave me the finger.  I managed to edge forward .....and it happened.  I was stuck and spinning, too.  Did this jerk get his butt out of his car like other people were doing and giving a hand to the people who were spinning?  Nope.  He sat there honking and honking.  And waving his middle fingers.  And his girlfriend (deranged sister?) was looking at him with SUCH PRIDE.  What a guy!

Finally, he gunned his big van, reversed, then pulled up ONTO THE SIDEWALK, nearly taking me and a telephone poll with him.  I am ashamed to say I had had it by then and I dropped to his level for six seconds and gave him the finger, too.  (Well, it seemed to work for him....) 

He responded in kind and added a touch of his own...he....LICKED....HIS...WINDOW.
The woman with hims was grinning ear to ear.  Clearly these people were deranged and I was thrilled not to be involved anymore.  A few minutes later a van full of guys came along and got everyone else unstuck (apparently they were driving around the city doing this) . 

I never found out what happened to Mr. Licks the Window...but it would have been a nice piece of karma to find him stuck somewhere while everyone honked at him.

On another note:  I knew a woman once who was stuck and spinning her wheels and some nut job was honking at her.  She finally got out and said to him "You know, it isn't working.  Maybe I should sit in your car and honk and you should get in my car and gun the engine."

RGH.  Why are these people suffering from the notion that they are the ONLY ones being inconvenienced?

[kingsrings]

LilySuch-did you say that police were present in some parts? If so, I wonder why they didn't step in and quiet down this jerk. He was a menace to society at that point. We've all seen those types on the road-conditions make it so that nobody can move anywhere, and certain imbeciles think it's somebody's fault, so they start taking it out on everyone around them.

[Lisbeth]

I honk if it appears that a collision is imminent, or if someone has been sitting at a light in front of me for about more than two minutes after the light has turned green.  I'm willing to accept that a driver might not notice the light change within a nanosecond or so after it happens, but that's the limit I'm willing to wait.  I only honk under those conditions.

I really hate horn honking when you are parked outside a home or office to let someone know you are outside.  It strikes me as really rude and inconsiderate of everyone else within earshot.

I also don't  like honking to catch the attention of others when it's not necessary-for example, if I happen to be passing someone I know.

[Yarnspinner]

LilySuch-did you say that police were present in some parts? If so, I wonder why they didn't step in and quiet down this jerk. He was a menace to society at that point. We've all seen those types on the road-conditions make it so that nobody can move anywhere, and certain imbeciles think it's somebody's fault, so they start taking it out on everyone around them.

Kingsrings,

You know, I didn't even think about that.  I did leave out details for brevity, but maybe I should have added that the first intersection where the connector was shut down, was located near the park and the local zoo.  There were a couple of zoo trucks and officials wandering around near the area, so my guess is that an animal or two got loose and they were trying to round them up before they got hit.  That was what was so strange.  There didn't appear to be any accidents as we were ushered through.  This character stopped honking as we went past the cop directing traffic.  Maybe the police thought it was someone else honking?  Or else they knew it was him and figured he was a lower priority than whatever else was going on.  That was the ONLY spot where there were police directing traffic.  From there on in, we were all on our own. 

That was one of the worst drives of my life.  I remember journaling about it that night and thinking "if this was a television show, no one would believe it."  Of course, if it had been a television show, I would have had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Horn Honker standing beside his van with his hands on the hood and a cop reading him his rights. 

I chalked it up to the fact that his was a tawdry, miserable and unhappy life and the only way to get a little of his own back was to honk at the rest of us.  Which is sad.

[Alida]

Luckily, in parts of NYC, honking is illegal (unless it's an emergency situation).

I wish that applied to Midtown - that's where I work, and I get tired of hearing it all day (and it's usually the "hurry up and move, idiot!" variety).

It wasn't always that way.  I grew up to the cacaphony of honking all over the city. 

When I went out west to visit DH's family when we were first engaged, I was SHOCKED at how quiet they were!  No one used their horn!

[leaf_eater]

I was turning right at a busy intersection near a high school. There were 7 or 8 teenagers pushing and jostling each other as they waited for the light to turn green, some were stepping off the curb and hopping back on when cars zoomed past. Because of this and because the oncoming traffic was coming from a curve with limited sight distance, I decided to not turn right on red. The world's largest SUV pulls up behind me and starts honking immediately. I look back and the driver is freaking out. This was after about 10 seconds of waiting, after twenty second she was making various obscene gestures at me. I point at the kids and put my hands up in a 'what can I do ?" motion.  This seemed to enrage her even more. After the light turned green, I let the kids cross and began my turn and she went roaring out around me coming within feet of the crossing kids. All her drama got her was one car length ahead at the very next light.