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Honked Off: Car Horns More Harm Than Good

Horns are hard to ban, but may make drivers more reckless

By Michael Roston,  Newser User

Posted Nov 26, 2008 8:00 AM CST

(Newser) – The next time you honk your car’s horn, you might want to ask why you're doing it. Grabbing the horn by the bull for Slate, Dave Johns thinks you’re probably too close to do anything but tell your obstacle to get out of the way. That’s because drivers use their horns “as a tool for scolding rather than safety,” one expert says.

Although honking might encourage more reckless driving, drivers still love it. Authorities the world over have responded with various bans for decades, but often with little to show for it. In Cairo, drivers reverted to clownish squeeze horns when authorities acted against them, showing that even if citizens can’t enjoy a right to free speech in some countries, they’ll fight for their right to honk.

Banning horn blowing on the roads often hasn't worked too well.
Banning horn blowing on the roads often hasn't worked too well.   (Jeff Gynane)
Honking the horn doesn't improve safety, but they've been putting horns in cars since this old Ford Model-T.
Honking the horn doesn't improve safety, but they've been putting horns in cars since this old Ford Model-T.   (John S. Sfondilias)
Banning horn blowing on the roads often hasn't worked too well.
Banning horn blowing on the roads often hasn't worked too well.   (Stephen Finn)
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Whatever legislative remedies or gadgeteer fixes we can invent, I'm counting on one fact: We won't give up our horns until they're pried from our cold, dead, honking hands. - Dave Johns for Slate

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