Horn in your vehicles

Honking definitely varies by city. During the Y2K scare, when people thought traffic lights would fail on 1/1/2000, the joke about Portland, OR is that there would be massive traffic jams. Not because everyone was trying to go first, but because everyone would be waiting for the other guy to go first.

Not like that in the northeast!
 
ggroves said:
It's a part of our over PC society. My wife gets angry at me when I use the horn, and when I flash high beams at people who camp out in the left lane. Apparently, it's not kind and gentle enough?


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If the left-laner is doing the speed limit why don't you just go around?
 
My daughters Kia Rio has a device that could only be called a horn by the most broad definition. She never uses it because the meep only provokes laughter, if it is even heard at all.

I OTOH, use mine for asleep at the wheel people at traffic lights after 5 seconds. And yes, I timed it a couple of times.

Cheers
 
In Turkey for the two weeks I was there, I was amazed how often people used their horns, but not one really laid on it like you hear here in the US.

Instead they seemed to use them with short chirps multiple times, mostly to announce to traffic that 'hey that's too close" or "watch out for traffic coming up fast behind" and stuff like that. I thought it was really neat. Even though they drive like maniacs compared :hairraise:
 
I've found that if you want to alert the texting air head in front of you that the light has changed, it is best to lean on your horn and scream obscenities while flipping them off works best. I've actually had them lay rubber more than a few times. I figure if your going to drive, why not have a little fun.

-John
 
Captain said:
My airplane has a horn and I use it often...
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The ATR-72 I flew had a horn. For what I don't know. No one outside the cockpit could hear it. And.....square cup holders that our round styrofoam cups would not fit in. Guess they have square cups in France. :D
 
paflyer said:
If the left-laner is doing the speed limit why don't you just go around?
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Because the right-laner is doing the speed limit as well.


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Every day on my commute, there is someone who is gumming up the works by either not going on green or by driving slow because they are on their damn phone. This happens continually. WTF can be so important that you cannot wait until you park to use the phone?
 
paflyer said:
So why are you passing cars doing the speed limit?
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Can't tell if you're being sarcastic, dense, or an a$$. So let's go with dense.

Two cars ahead of me. One in the right lane, one in the left lane. Both going the same speed. I want to pass. They both stay side by side for miles. Even if the left laner moves ahead, he refuses to move to the right which is now clear. It's called common courtesy.

I-64 between Richmond and Norfolk seems to be a magnet for this behavior. Some of it is talking on the phone, some of it is the idiot notion that the left lane is smoother, some of it is on-ramps every mile or two and people being too lazy to shift for merging traffic.
 
ggroves said:
It's a part of our over PC society. My wife gets angry at me when I use the horn, and when I flash high beams at people who camp out in the left lane. Apparently, it's not kind and gentle enough?
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Ha!

In my mind, the moron camping in the left lane is one of the most dangerous drivers out there, and the phrase that comes to mind is, "Too close for missiles, switching to guns!" :yes:

---

As for the horn, I try - really I do - to use it less than has been my habit, and since I've been driving a Suburban, I think I've accomplished this somewhat by virtue of the modestly more-intimidating presence of the vehicle, but the pervasive (and growing) problem of terminally-distracted drivers, texting, facebooking, masturbating, whatever, means we still need the horn sometimes.

I intend to get a Big, Honkin' Beast of a horn, one designed to ensure that the recipient of the honk will deposit the contents of their bowels on the seat behind them. It will be reserved for very limited use, of course. Statistically, I believe about 60% of its recipients will be drivers of Honda Odyssey "Big-Butt" minivans, with the remainder more or less evenly-split between Prioids, Camrys, Lexus Eggs (aka RX350 & equivalent) and Accords.
 
paflyer said:
If the left-laner is doing the speed limit why don't you just go around?
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Did you really just ask that? Seriously?

Out of an abundance of charity, I'll assume that was a humorous quip.

The answer: Perhaps because slower traffic is obliged to yield right of way to faster traffic, without regard to speed, and because passing on the right is both disorderly and unsafe?
 
ggroves said:
Can't tell if you're being sarcastic, dense, or an a$$. So let's go with dense.

Two cars ahead of me. One in the right lane, one in the left lane. Both going the same speed. I want to pass. They both stay side by side for miles. Even if the left laner moves ahead, he refuses to move to the right which is now clear. It's called common courtesy.

I-64 between Richmond and Norfolk seems to be a magnet for this behavior. Some of it is talking on the phone, some of it is the idiot notion that the left lane is smoother, some of it is on-ramps every mile or two and people being too lazy to shift for merging traffic.
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If there's no one in the right lane you can pass there.

So basically you don't want anyone to impede your God-given right to speed. Got it, thanks.

BTW, the left lane is generally smoother anywhere I've driven since the trucks beat the crap out of the roadway.
 
People camping in the left lane is a big peeve of mine. If there is a clear lane to the right, I'm going around them. If their pacing a car in the right lane and I can't get around, they may get a blink of the lights if they do not yield.

And if you drive the speed limit here, you're going to get rear ended.
 
paflyer said:
If there's no one in the right lane you can pass there.

So basically you don't want anyone to impede your God-given right to speed. Got it, thanks.

BTW, the left lane is generally smoother anywhere I've driven since the trucks beat the crap out of the roadway.
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It's not a "God-given right to speed," but it is (1) legally-protected right of way, and (2) a common-sense way to reduce conflict and congestion on highways.

Think of it like this: if you're in the left lane, and someone wants by you, why should you wish to impede them and create congestion behind you? Move right, let them by, easy-peezy (and safer and compliant with right of way laws). Forcing someone to pass on the right is a means of actively creating a more dangerous condition.

If you want to be a cop, by all means, go for it. In the meantime, don't delude yourself into believing you're doing a good thing by blocking the left lane. Speed doesn't kill- it's the sudden stop that does that, and poor lane discipline is a huge cause of traffic conflict and resultant accidents.
 
If people in the left lane and the right lane are both doing the speed limit, and the car behind them both wants to speed? oh boo hoo. They have no obligation to get out of the way of the guy who wants to speed.
 
And some of these clowns say, well I'm going the speed limit so why shouldn't you too. I swear they think that. And sometimes the right line is the speed line!
 
Bob Noel said:
If people in the left lane and the right lane are both doing the speed limit, and the car behind them both wants to speed? oh boo hoo. They have no obligation to get out of the way of the guy who wants to speed.
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Understand your position, Bob. It's a dangerous and irresponsible one, and people regularly die from it, which is why the law does not support it.
 
So far we have not heard from the a-holes who sit in the left lane blocking traffic on purpose so that they can "teach" the "speeding criminals" a "lesson" by slowing down to 20 below speed limit, impeding traffic and f***ing up the flow for hours on end.
And then there are the plain re*ards who sit in the left lane oblivious, dumb and happy, not realizing that left lane is meant for passing. And if there are signs along the highway to point that out, a LEO can ticket the dumb idiot blocking the left lane. Though it happens rarely.

A great quote I've heard a few times: "Speed kills. Buy a Honda". :)
 
BigBadLou said:
So far we have not heard from the a-holes who sit in the left lane blocking traffic on purpose so that they can "teach" the "speeding criminals" a "lesson" by slowing down to 20 below speed limit, impeding traffic and f***ing up the flow for hours on end.
And then there are the plain re*ards who sit in the left lane oblivious, dumb and happy, not realizing that left lane is meant for passing. And if there are signs along the highway to point that out, a LEO can ticket the dumb idiot blocking the left lane. Though it happens rarely.

A great quote I've heard a few times: "Speed kills. Buy a Honda". :)
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Look up just a few posts.
 
paflyer said:
And speeding isn't? The logical fallacy is thick.
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Thinking you're the moral police and enforcing your justice on the world is arrogant and a jerk move. And when you intentionally add angst to driving you are going to be responsible for someone getting hurt...maybe even yourself.
 
Because this:

R4-50a%20StateLaw%20KeepRightExceptToPass.gif
 
SCCutler said:
Understand your position, Bob. It's a dangerous and irresponsible one, and people regularly die from it, which is why the law does not support it.
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No, you don't understand my position.
 
BigBadLou said:
So far we have not heard from the a-holes who sit in the left lane blocking traffic on purpose so that they can "teach" the "speeding criminals" a "lesson" by slowing down to 20 below speed limit, impeding traffic and f***ing up the flow for hours on end.
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Those ones make me want to build an EMF weapon and mount it under the hood.

Even worse are the ones in the right lane puttering along at 15 mph under the limit, which is fine. They're in the right lane. But when you pass them, they get insulted, speed up, get back in front of you, and then slow down again. Thankfully, I only come across those types maybe two or three times a year.

Rich
 
Bob Noel said:
No, you don't understand my position.
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Bob- I was responding to what I interpreted to be your position, based upon what you wrote, for which I apologize. Perhaps you were posting for dramatic effect.

What is certain, however, is this: whether the person in the left lane is going the speed limit, or not, the right-of-way law requires that they yield right-of-way to faster traffic. Common sense dictates this, as well.

Consider this hypothetical: you are motoring along in the left lane, cruise control set precisely on the nose at (according to your speedometer) 70 mph, the speed limit for that road. Your speed is precisely matching that of traffic to your right, so both traffic lanes are taken up.

You look in your rearview mirror, and you see a car coming up from behind you: consider each of the following hypothetical variations, and tell me what you think will be appropriate.

1. The guy behind you looks at his speedometer, and it indicates 68 mph. His speedometer is correct, and yours is indicating a speed which is faster than the speed at which you're actually traveling:

2. The guy behind you looks at his speedometer, and it indicates 68 mph. His speedometer is incorrect, he is actually traveling at 70 mph, but he thinks he's only going 68:

3. There is a line of 10 vehicles behind you, and the line is growing longer.
 
paflyer said:
And speeding isn't? The logical fallacy is thick.
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No logical fallacy at all, and I think a little bit of reflection will tell you this.

There is a reason why right-of-way law, and speed limit law, are (in almost every state) treated as separate and independent obligations.

There is also a reason why, while we may all be obligated to obey the law, we are not all empowered with the authority to enforce it.

Some years ago, I took a traffic safety class which was unusually different from others I had taken in the past; rather than showing lots of pictures of accidents, blood, gore, and things like that, it went into a pretty significant discussion of the psychology of driving, and the behavior of different drivers. While the fine details escape me now, the essential message was that there are so drivers who operate with a "parenting" mindset, and believe it is their obligation to impose their will, and their interpretation of what is proper driving behavior, on everyone else. Interestingly, this behavior is regarded as being a significant contributor to traffic conflict and, predictably enough, dangerous traffic accidents.
 
Captain said:
Thinking you're the moral police and enforcing your justice on the world is arrogant and a jerk move. And when you intentionally add angst to driving you are going to be responsible for someone getting hurt...maybe even yourself.
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Coming from the King of Arrogant Jerks, I take that as a compliment.
 
John Baker said:
I've found that if you want to alert the texting air head in front of you that the light has changed, it is best to lean on your horn and scream obscenities while flipping them off works best. I've actually had them lay rubber more than a few times. I figure if your going to drive, why not have a little fun.

-John
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I hope y'all know I was BSing. After sleeping on it I figured I had better fess up in case you don't. I'm a tapper, like everyone else.

-John
 
paflyer said:
If the left-laner is doing the speed limit why don't you just go around?
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And pass on the right? Are you endorsing highway anarchy? The left lane is the passing lane, not the "hum along in cruise control" lane. Even if I'm cruising at 90 mph (I don't do this), I still move over to the right when there are not cars to be passed.

Bob Noel said:
If people in the left lane and the right lane are both doing the speed limit, and the car behind them both wants to speed? oh boo hoo. They have no obligation to get out of the way of the guy who wants to speed.
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They actually have every obligation to do such, as it is law in most if not every state.

I know this has already been addressed and hashed over quite a bit, but I went to the trouble of clicking the quote button before I finished reading.
 
BigBadLou said:
So far we have not heard from the a-holes who sit in the left lane blocking traffic on purpose so that they can "teach" the "speeding criminals" a "lesson" by slowing down to 20 below speed limit, impeding traffic and f***ing up the flow for hours on end.
And then there are the plain re*ards who sit in the left lane oblivious, dumb and happy, not realizing that left lane is meant for passing. And if there are signs along the highway to point that out, a LEO can ticket the dumb idiot blocking the left lane. Though it happens rarely.

A great quote I've heard a few times: "Speed kills. Buy a Honda". :)
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The video here is an example of some awful driving and what happens when some jerk tries to "teach" someone a lesson.
http://ktla.com/2015/10/19/driver-who-swerved-and-hit-a-motorcycle-i-dont-care/
While not true in this case, impeding travel on a multilane road just causes some people to go nuts. "Keep to the right unless passing." Go with the flow. Lead, follow, or get the Fling out of the way.
 
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RJM62 said:
Those ones make me want to build an EMF weapon and mount it under the hood.

Even worse are the ones in the right lane puttering along at 15 mph under the limit, which is fine. They're in the right lane. But when you pass them, they get insulted, speed up, get back in front of you, and then slow down again. Thankfully, I only come across those types maybe two or three times a year.

Rich
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Then there is the clown who gets all bent because you just passed him. Passes you, pulls in front, then slows to an unreasonably slow speed.... Just to show you!
Or as you are passing, accellorates to match your speed such that you cannot merge right again.
Special place in hell for them!
 
more than the left lane hogs, these guys have been the bane of my existence on my daily commute…..those who can't pick a speed. It is a mindless drive through the desert on a 4 lane highway, and you might think people would use such a thing as cruise control. Apparently not. I will be massively overtaking a vehicle in the left lane, get over in the right to pass, and inevitably this moron will accelerate 10-20 mph over what they have been traveling to as best as I can tell, prevent me from passing. Cool, I will get back over. It isn't a competition, I'm just trying to go the speed I want to go on an otherwise abandoned highway. Get back over behind them, and sure enough they slow back down. So without changing speed (I'm in cruise control because there is no reason not to be), I eventually start closing on them again. Generally the next time, they miss their opportunity, and I pass. Wait a while and get well ahead of them before getting back over. 30 seconds later, said person accelerates and passes me, but slows down to maybe 1 mph over my speed once they get slightly in front. Then they get back over in front of me, and slow down again. Once again, I am forced to pass. And the process repeats itself a dozen times over the next 20 miles. It is mind boggling annoying and not only makes my blood boil quicker than just about anything, but I can also predict it almost immediately…..basically as soon as I see that first irrational speed change. I seriously don't care if I pass you or not, but I don't want to be 10 feet behind, constantly thinking about avoiding rear ending you as you choose a speed of +/- 20 mph. Might make sense with things like traffic, changing speed limits, etc, but none of that is a factor.
 
The laws regarding the usage of lanes seems to vary by state, which can lead to differing philosophies about freeway driving. 'Round these parts the left lane is not a designated "passing lane" and there is no law preventing passing on the right.

Pretty interesting table of "keep-right" laws by state here:
http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html

Interesting driving habits I've noticed:
In the middle of nowhere, I set the cruise control and get going down a lane. I come upon a slightly slower car in the other lane and creep up as our distance closes. The other driver subconsciously matches my speed and either flanks me for miles or periodically zooms ahead and slows down until I creep up again. Again I'm using the cruise :confused:

I set the cruise control about 10MPH over the limit and camp in the left lane, passing car after car after car. Eventually someone comes flying up behind me and starts a mating ritual with my bumper. Once there's an opening on the right, I move over to let the hornball pass, but he just pulls up about 6' in front of me and decides that's where he wants to be. Now there's a slow moving semi in front of me and I want to get back to the left lane, but Speed Racer forces me to disconnect the cruise and slow down to get behind him. WTF?

Driving along at the speed limit in the left lane and periodically passing cars going 10 under on the right. There's sparse traffic. Someone in a hurry comes up behind me and there's plenty of space to pass on the right, but he'd rather ride my bumper instead. Why? Just pass on the right and we can both be happy :dunno:

Some people drive like helicopter pilots except instead of flying from one forced landing site to the next they race from one bumper to the next. They don't seem to care about their speed as much as they enjoy tailgating someone in front of them.

Other people will invariably overtake a car to their right. They could be 10 car lengths back and I'm on cruise and change lanes. They will speed up and overtake me and then slow down and occupy that new spot 10 car lengths in the front.

A lot of people drive not by absolute speed but by relative position. If I subtly slow down or speed up 10mph, so will they.
 
Ollopa- great observations. I attribute a lot of what you describe to cellphone usage; peoples' cognitive functions degrade when they're substantially involved in a conversation (worse when holding the phone to their ear), and they go into a degraded autopilot mode. Often, sort of a "surface tension" thing happens, where they unconsciously attach themselves to nearby traffic. I don't think it's intentional most of the time, but it is dangerous and infuriating.
 
yep, 100% what I was trying to describe in my previous, as well as a few other examples that I regularly see. As was said, I do attribute some of it to inattention/distraction/cell phones, but it isn't always that. I'll generally eventually look over at the person just to see what the moron actually looks like. No really defining trait, but by and large, they aren't on a cell phone. I'd say that if there were any trend, it would be mild obesity, but that is also just a trend in our country so probably just a coincidence.

ollopa said:
The laws regarding the usage of lanes seems to vary by state, which can lead to differing philosophies about freeway driving. 'Round these parts the left lane is not a designated "passing lane" and there is no law preventing passing on the right.

Pretty interesting table of "keep-right" laws by state here:
http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html

Interesting driving habits I've noticed:
In the middle of nowhere, I set the cruise control and get going down a lane. I come upon a slightly slower car in the other lane and creep up as our distance closes. The other driver subconsciously matches my speed and either flanks me for miles or periodically zooms ahead and slows down until I creep up again. Again I'm using the cruise :confused:

I set the cruise control about 10MPH over the limit and camp in the left lane, passing car after car after car. Eventually someone comes flying up behind me and starts a mating ritual with my bumper. Once there's an opening on the right, I move over to let the hornball pass, but he just pulls up about 6' in front of me and decides that's where he wants to be. Now there's a slow moving semi in front of me and I want to get back to the left lane, but Speed Racer forces me to disconnect the cruise and slow down to get behind him. WTF?

Driving along at the speed limit in the left lane and periodically passing cars going 10 under on the right. There's sparse traffic. Someone in a hurry comes up behind me and there's plenty of space to pass on the right, but he'd rather ride my bumper instead. Why? Just pass on the right and we can both be happy :dunno:

Some people drive like helicopter pilots except instead of flying from one forced landing site to the next they race from one bumper to the next. They don't seem to care about their speed as much as they enjoy tailgating someone in front of them.

Other people will invariably overtake a car to their right. They could be 10 car lengths back and I'm on cruise and change lanes. They will speed up and overtake me and then slow down and occupy that new spot 10 car lengths in the front.

A lot of people drive not by absolute speed but by relative position. If I subtly slow down or speed up 10mph, so will they.
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gkainz said:
Another tbone player here ....
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Dated a girl once who played the trombone. I thought it was an odd choice as most other trombone players I knew were men. So I asked her what made her choose it as an instrument. With a twinkle in her eye she said "because I like to stroke it while I blow it". Damn, I loved that girl.
 
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