"No Horn" Driving Method

[vijay_968]

Without touching the Horn Pad, it was difficult for me to drive ... earlier. Last month when i was in the Civic AT (link), i found my Senior rarely using Horn. Even on NH, he avoided Horn to the max and told me "they do have mirrors and i do have brakes". When it was my time to drive the Civic, i used the Pad.

But, back in B'lore, the idea of not honking appeared challenging and i accepted it. Been driving my Verna on "NO Horn" Mode for 25+ days. i think this experience is good enough to put up a thread. Controlling my natural habit was VERY tough in the first weak, but got used to it in quick time. The positives that i have noticed are:

1. i am more relaxed driving now. Reason : "those loose canons on roads" HAD ALWAYS BEEN seeing me in their peripheral view ; earlier when i honked, they were cocksure that i noticed them and decided it was my obligation to save them and did something to raise my BP. NOT ANYMORE. Now they are NOT at all SURE, if i had noticed THEM and they DRIVE MORE SENSIBLE. By NOT touching the Pads, i managed to communicate to everyone around me that their life is in their own hands and NOT MY concern.
2. My Speed has come DOWN a bit, to accommodate those "Business Partners of Bill Gates" --- those using phone while driving.
3. Noise Pollution down : i know that "no matter what, certain types don't give a darn about a warning honk" --- they would take a U-Turn wherever/whenever they want, they would merge with traffic at will, they would cross the road V..E...R....Y S.....L......O.......W while looking at the oncoming Car giving that 'dare you hit me' look. Earlier i would drive bit close to them just to give them THAT "adrenaline rush moment" (yeah yeah yeah... it was the classic Tit-for-tat, i know). In this "No-Horn Mode", i drop speed, and leave nuts-be-nuts. i am helping to reduce noise pollution.
4. More Smiles thrown at me --- when i slow down or stop for pedestrians, few of them smile at me; it is sooooooooooo nice to see smiling faces of school kids . In narrow streets, i follow aged people at their pace; within a minute they normally realise the Car behind them, and move away; they wave at me with a brisk smile. Priceless, my dear friends. Sometimes, this slowing down / stopping has irritated some motorists (behind me); but hey do i care ?!?

i would recommend everyone to give this "NO HORN MODE" a try.

Footnotes:

• i still mildly honk, while approaching blind junctions in residential areas. it is more important for me that others know of an approaching vehicle from their blind-spot.
• Horn is still used on Highways, but the frequency of use has come DOWN. Good.
• When i was driving my Matiz, i rarely used Horn. Most road users knew that i was driving a discontinued model whose manufacturer shut shop in 2002; they knew that they could not take their chances with me and behaved proper. BUT, a shiny Sedan became my weakness and THEY KNEW THAT ... i HAD to use horn liberally.
• Family has become bit edgy, with the NO-HORN approach. they will get used to it in due course.
  

 

[Nairrk]

Indeed, a great idea to drive without using 'Horn'. But one must need plenty of patience to practice this method. In my place, even if we use Horn, the AUTO guys don't bother to give side as such if you are happy to drive at a speed of around 30/40 kmph i.e keep following the auto's then no problem, but how long you can drive like that?

I too like to drive without 'Horning' but I doubt it may not be possible here.!

 

[amiti]

Nice one. In Pune where I commute in congested city traffic it's difficult not to use horn. I won't be able to drive in the city. No horn equals to no driving in the area where I drive. I have to tackle, rikshaws, two wheelers who try to squeeze into anything, cabs and yes not to mention the white swifts, brezza's and scorpio's.

 

[SilverEyez]

Without touching the Horn Pad, it was difficult for me to drive ... earlier. Last month when i was in the Civic AT (link), i found my Senior rarely using Horn. Even on NH, he avoided Horn to the max and told me "they do have mirrors and i do have brakes". When it was my time to drive the Civic, i used the Pad.

But, back in B'lore, the idea of not honking appeared challenging and i accepted it. Been driving my Verna on "NO Horn" Mode for 25+ days. i think this experience is good enough to put up a thread. Controlling my natural habit was VERY tough in the first weak, but got used to it in quick time. The positives that i have noticed are:

1. i am more relaxed driving now. Reason : "those loose canons on roads" HAD ALWAYS BEEN seeing me in their peripheral view ; earlier when i honked, they were cocksure that i noticed them and decided it was my obligation to save them and did something to raise my BP. NOT ANYMORE. Now they are NOT at all SURE, if i had noticed THEM and they DRIVE MORE SENSIBLE. By NOT touching the Pads, i managed to communicate to everyone around me that their life is in their own hands and NOT MY concern.
2. My Speed has come DOWN a bit, to accommodate those "Business Partners of Bill Gates" --- those using phone while driving.
3. Noise Pollution down : i know that "no matter what, certain types don't give a darn about a warning honk" --- they would take a U-Turn wherever/whenever they want, they would merge with traffic at will, they would cross the road V..E...R....Y S.....L......O.......W while looking at the oncoming Car giving that 'dare you hit me' look. Earlier i would drive bit close to them just to give them THAT "adrenaline rush moment" (yeah yeah yeah... it was the classic Tit-for-tat, i know). In this "No-Horn Mode", i drop speed, and leave nuts-be-nuts. i am helping to reduce noise pollution.
4. More Smiles thrown at me --- when i slow down or stop for pedestrians, few of them smile at me; it is sooooooooooo nice to see smiling faces of school kids . In narrow streets, i follow aged people at their pace; within a minute they normally realise the Car behind them, and move away; they wave at me with a brisk smile. Priceless, my dear friends. Sometimes, this slowing down / stopping has irritated some motorists (behind me); but hey do i care ?!?

i would recommend everyone to give this "NO HORN MODE" a try.

Footnotes:

• i still mildly honk, while approaching blind junctions in residential areas. it is more important for me that others know of an approaching vehicle from their blind-spot.
• Horn is still used on Highways, but the frequency of use has come DOWN. Good.
• When i was driving my Matiz, i rarely used Horn. Most road users knew that i was driving a discontinued model whose manufacturer shut shop in 2002; they knew that they could not take their chances with me and behaved proper. BUT, a shiny Sedan became my weakness and THEY KNEW THAT ... i HAD to use horn liberally.
• Family has become bit edgy, with the NO-HORN approach. they will get used to it in due course.

Amazing thread @vijay_968
Will definitely try the method and update the experience,"Business Partners of Bill Gates"
I simply love the added Humour to your threads.

 

[allhyundaicars]

I don't think I honk more than 2-3 times a day.
I have seen people honking at rickshaw Wala like crazy.
Some things that I have observed where people honk and I don't.

So they mostly drive on the left side and some moron is parked there in his lane obviously he will come in the right lane and will take some time to overtake the parked car.
Someone is picking or dropping someone in the middle of the road.

In one particular case I am completely opposite. If someone is blocking single lane road I keep on honking until he moves

 

[ABandy]

Thanks vijay_968 for starting this nice thread . I have seen all vehicles running in Thailand and in Bhutan without using a single honk. It is an amazing idea to reduce the use of honks from our end and to allow to pass pedesterians especially the children and aged persons will make a difference for sure .

 

[harishankar]

Yes, good idea. Honking too much raises tensions to other passengers in the car as well.

Also, speaking of horns, I detest two-wheelers who install car-like horns and scare the hell out of other two wheelers when overtaking.

 

[THE_DRIFTER]

Very nice idea @vijay_968 , the more we honk, more tensions raise in our mind/passenger's mind and we are never in happy mood after listening to continous horns.
This is can be executed properly, but in my area of i honk, they say why am i honking, if I don't honk, they say why don't you honk while coming!! So, we should use horns , , ,but not like people who sit on horn button instead of seat!!

 

[GrandRk]

I recently driven my car without honking from Pune - Udaipur via Gujarat. The reason was horn went kaput.
Jokes apart, it needs lots of patience to drive a car in India without honking.

 

[Wander_SAFARI]

I got this habit of driving without honking about 12 years back just about first year of my Driving experience. Thanks to the Kaput horn of my then car which I did not got fixed for few months.
Initially I was a little nervous to drive in the Mumbai Traffic with no horn, but eventually I realized some patience, and controlling the Speed of car and you actually don't need one, at least in city drive.

Highways is a different ball game. Although I still try to keep usage at minimum but few unexpected elements like Auto rickshaws stopping abruptly, Two wheelers cutting across etc, force me to blare the Horn.

Worst ever experience was on highways in Gujarat during my Mumbai- Udaipur road trip.
I believe I might have honked more than what I had honked for the about 12 years.

The strange thing observed here was, you are in the fast lane, a car is in the middle lane ahead of you and you see an open passage to zoom past it. As soon as you open the throttle and almost reach near the car in front, it would start drifting to the fast lane forcing you to honk loud and get it out of your way.
And this repeated with almost every car on the highway.

Anyways coming back to the topic, it is a must try for everyone to practice driving without honking, As a side effect if I have to say, you build a lot of patience for yourselves keeping yourself calm and in control of the car and avoid near misses and accidents.

 

[THE_DRIFTER]

I also drove without honking only when it was not working, otherwise i can't even move with my elephant (Manza) without using horn at mad people who knowingly cut into your lane and state you if u honk.
BTW, Off topic - You came online after too much time??

 

[Wander_SAFARI]

I also drove without honking only when it was not working, otherwise i can't even move with my elephant (Manza) without using horn at mad people who knowingly cut into your lane and state you if u honk.
BTW, Off topic - You came online after too much time??

I did use to browse the site, but had nothing really to post or reply to. BTW had recently posted about my experience of selling a car at Cars24.

Back to the topic.
Some tips to incorporate the no honking habit.
1. Analyze the traffic around mostly in cities. You barely can go above 40kmph. So why do you need to honk if you can gracefully brake and avoid an obstacle.
2. In heavy traffic no matter how much you honk the car in front will not move unless others in front of it start moving. Your Honking wont blow them out of your way. So why honk?
3. If its your regular route study the points like signals/ pedestrian crossings, and places where you are bound to slow down. Off course that says others also need to slow down. Honking won't help!
Anymore, do pitch in.

 

[vijay_968]

I got this habit of driving without honking about 12 years back just about first year of my Driving experience. Thanks to the Kaput horn of my then car which I did not got fixed for few months.
Initially I was a little nervous to drive in the Mumbai Traffic with no horn, but eventually I realized some patience, and controlling the Speed of car and you actually don't need one, at least in city drive.

Highways is a different ball game. Although I still try to keep usage at minimum but few unexpected elements like Auto rickshaws stopping abruptly, Two wheelers cutting across etc, force me to blare the Horn.

Worst ever experience was on highways in Gujarat during my Mumbai- Udaipur road trip.
I believe I might have honked more than what I had honked for the about 12 years.

The strange thing observed here was, you are in the fast lane, a car is in the middle lane ahead of you and you see an open passage to zoom past it. As soon as you open the throttle and almost reach near the car in front, it would start drifting to the fast lane forcing you to honk loud and get it out of your way.
And this repeated with almost every car on the highway.

Anyways coming back to the topic, it is a must try for everyone to practice driving without honking, As a side effect if I have to say, you build a lot of patience for yourselves keeping yourself calm and in control of the car and avoid near misses and accidents.

Your comments on "NO Horn required for City drives" is correct. To encourage more drivers to try this, few more Tips :

A. In-City Drives - those CROSSING the Road :

• Guys/gals at distance, WILL come across your way, just because of the distance; NO POINT honking. Slow down a wee bit.
• Those nearby, will check if they can make out. If they PERCEIVE you to be fast (and dangerous), they will NOT cross ; maintain your speed.
• If the 2W guy has Rectangular Box type Hair-cut, BEWARE... he wants to buy a Duke once you scratch his Rattle Box on wheels; don't honk but slow down little.
• If the 2W guy appears to be "a School/College Kid on his/her Parent's gear-less scooter", he/she is most likely inexperienced and he/she WILL cross your path; don't honk and slow down little.
• If the 2W person is a Lady doing doubles (or triples) while happily conversing with the pillion rider, BEWARE... for her, we do NOT exist. don't honk but slow down little and let her cross.
• If the 2W guy is on a 150CC bike or Duke or RE, he will cross no matter what the situation is; don't honk but slow down little. RE's acceleration is poor as compared to modern bikes; yet they try to accelerate and cross the road; they will land smack in front of you and give you a "why didn't you do the home-work" look . i hope such drivers do not learn the fact the hard way and don't wake up in a hospital bed.
• If 2W/4W driver cannot perceive your speed (vis-a-vis their speed), they like to confirm, if you have SEEN them; they TRY to make actual EYE-CONTACT with you; you can FEEL their gaze thro the windshield. The moment eye-contact is made, they WILL cross your path, no matter what. Tilting your head AWAY or Wearing a Shade puts them off their adventure ;-) maintain your speed.

B. In-City Drives - those traveling with you :

• On 2W or 4W, most WILL make course correction without seeing their mirrors. See IN ADVANCE if there are any "push-cart vendors / parked 2W or 4W or mini truck / people walking etc" on the left AND right. EXPECT someone to make a "last moment move" to raise your BP. They WILL move onto your path, no matter what you do. Don't waste efforts in honking but simply slow down a bit. It goes AS PER YOUR PLAN and you will feel relaxed that no one made you a Ullu (Owl) .
• BEWARE of those "Business Partners of Bill Gates" --- those using phone while driving. They WILL do something stupid. The more you honk, the more they will irritate you or the more their stupidity will grow. Better slow down a bit and enjoy YOUR CAR; do not honk.
• For Cabbies and Auto Drivers, best is NOT to honk. YOU need to decide if you are a Driver or Owner of YOUR Car. Read between the lines...
• SUV's and MUVs are generally bought for their butch appeal. Their drivers generally don't like to be honked at; it is them who will do all the honking around. Driving a 126 bhp torquey Diesel, i show them their proper place on the Highways. in-City, i just follow them without honking or wait patiently till a opening is available. See, i choose to be the OWNER of my Car and reach my destination relaxed... Savvy ?!! It is up to you, how you deal with them, but DO remember, "Bade Bhaiya ko namaskar karna".

C. Driving in SHs and NHs :

• On Saturday, the 30th Mar i did a 800+ km "B'lore-Chidambaram-B'lore" trip. i sounded Horn only 4 times; 1 in B'lore, 1 on NH and 2 on SH. We already covered the B'lore drives in A & B above.
• On NHs, you need not use Horn Pad, if you can observe the traffic PATTERN and the tyres of the vehicles around you. 3+3 lane NH are much easier, while 2+2 lane NHs demand MORE attention from YOU.
• ON NHs, if 2 or 3 vehicles are blocking your path FLASH your headlights (even in Day time) few times; few more times, if needed. One of the drivers UNDERSTANDS that you want to go ahead and that you do NOT want to use the Horn and makes way for you. Believe it, i was allowed to go ahead many many times, during the trip, just by flashing my lights. Remember that overdoing this flashing business WILL irritate them.
• On NHs, before overtaking, FLASH your Lights 3-4 times (even in Day time), look where HIS tyre is pointing and make your move. You can COMPLETELY avoid Horn. With little care from YOU, this can be done at NIGHT too at speeds. On 2+2 lane NH, i was doing insane speeds and zigzagging past vehicles WITHOUT using Horn. It all depends on YOUR assessment of the traffic and COMMUNICATION with the guy you are overtaking. Way too Simple (as long as you watch his tyres).
• On SHs with single or double lanes without any median, no matter how good a driver you are and how good a car you drive, remove the thoughts of competing with a local guy; he knows bloody well the potholes. Use him as your FREE sweeper car and avoid all those potholes and tackle Speed Bumps. Moreover, he WILL be doing the honking ;-)
• On the above point, if you know the route and road clearly, show him who you are ... Race is a race
• On SHs, If you need Google Maps for Navigation, better keep your speed in 40-80 kph range. The local 2W guys won't move away (as there's just sand on the left) and so do NOT honk.
• On SHs, watch out for those waiting for a Bus; they have their own worries and may not care about an outsider's car doing high speeds; so do NOT honk.
• On SHs, watch out for those trying to join the SH from a side road. They WILL join the SH and so do not use Horn. Watching for "Road Sign Boards" helps to anticipate on this.
• On SHs, if you happen to be behind "a herd or bullock cart or Cyclists or Moped guys", do not honk. They know you are behind, but are NOT so fast in direction changes as your car. Have little patience and they will make way for you.
• On SHs, if you see "Dangerous Curve / Accident Prone Area" Signs, DROP SPEED. Ask co-driver's help for looking ahead on "Right hand curves"; it helps and you can avoid Honking. i used horn twice on SHs, just to alert two idiots coming dangerously from the opposite direction (once my Wife spotted them).
• On SHs, once you make a "mild right-left move", the Bus / Truck drivers KNOW that they are holding you up; if you follow them for some time and Flash Lights, they will communicate with you using "standard hand signal" and let you know when to go past. Once you go ahead, acknowledge them with blinkers; it will make them smile (and chat) and yield to more people.
• Most important: While on SHs, if you see a Maniac blaring horn and coming from the opposite direction but AT YOU (expecting you to lift your car and run to the side of the Road), do NOT panic. You have at least 50-100m to him (mostly dilapidated old Cars which may fetch Rs 100 worth of Date Fruits, local Buses / SUVs / Sand trucks etc). Stand on your B-Pedal and HALT your Car then and there right on your lane. Bugger sees that you have halted and sanity returns to him. you may like to show the idiot the "Emergency STOP Hand Signal". During the recent trip, THREE times, i stopped such Ghost Riders :-)

i think i have covered ALL aspects, on NO HORN Mode Driving. Will come back if i remember anything,

I also drove without honking only when it was not working, otherwise i can't even move with my elephant (Manza) without using horn at mad people who knowingly cut into your lane and state you if u honk.
BTW, Off topic - You came online after too much time??

True. Was busy in 4th Qtr Office Work. You will see me more in these Lazy months of a new FY :-)

 

[THE_DRIFTER]

You both have explained the points clearly.
@vijay_968 , regarding your last point, see what happened with me in post #109 and #111
In this thread

 

[vijay_968]

You both have explained the points clearly.
@vijay_968 , regarding your last point, see what happened with me in post #109 and #111
In this thread

On your post #109 in that thread:
Avoid getting out of Car. It normally results in people getting physical. In your case, you ended up punching that idiot and he managed to throw abuses at you. I hate if someone bad mouths me or my family, and try to avoid such situations to the max.

On your post #111 in that thread:
You wrote, "i was already boiled to reach home fast". But see, due to that incidence with M-800, you ended up wasting few precious minutes and reached home late. THAT defeated YOUR main purpose.

i am NOT saying i had been a neat and decent driver; been there done that. But, with age, i realised "it is much sensible to avoid unnecessary tensions on Roads, by giving few seconds to an idiot on roads". i have chosen to remain at Human level, and don't want to climb down to animal level. Hope my sweet Gods help me continue like that.

This "NO HORN" thread is all about PEACE. I plan to compile "TIPS for Safe driving with a Smile" (from what i wrote in different threads in TAI). I intend to upload that compilation in this very thread. i hope it helps drivers calm down and reach home safe