My old dad always used to honk at blind bends or summits on narrow roads, and I do the same. But I seem to be the only one.
Has it gone out of fashion? Is there a better method of signalling to those approaching that you're there (I realise they may not hear anyway)?
|
|
I've always sounded my horn on blind bends etc.-did it on my HGV test-passed first time.It asks on insurance claim forms "did you sound your horn?".
|
|
|
That's a relief i thought you going to say there was a trend for unsavoury people to heave up in our lovely countryside instead of the more usual town centre paths on a Saturday night.
I too sometimes give a blast on the horn if it's one of those really narrow blind bends, don't know why i waste me time though as normally the car blasting along the other way seems convinced he's on a one way road with not the remotest possibility of meeting anyone.
|
normally the car blasting along the other way seems convinced he's on a one way road with not the remotest possibility of meeting anyone.
Yes, my experience this afternoon.
Fortunately he was behind a tractor, who either had heard me or was anticipating someone else on the road - so the car nearly hit the tractor rather than me.
|
|
|
|
|
You need to see what's around the bend, rather than just hooting and hoping that whatever's in the road will get out of the way, and things coming the other way might not hear you!
|
You need to see what's around the bend
Where do you get those magic glasses FT, i'll buy 6 of the blighters (as my late Dad would have said but the spelling of the last word would have had 2 g's.;)
|
|
Not magic glasses, GB, FT must have one of those driveway mirrors on a long pole extended in front of his car. :-)
|
|
Groan. The old ones are the best. Sorry for the imprecise sentence, but YKWIM (or at least, I hope you do!).
|
|
|
|
You need to see what's around the bend
But if I could see round the bend (and t'other non-honking chap could too) I wouldn't need to honk!
|
|
|
hooting and hoping that whatever's in the road will get out of the way
Hooting is a warning of approach, not a road clearer. Allegedly. :-)
|
|
|
|
|
Not fashion but the embarassment factor. As a frequent explorer of Pyrennean backroads I tend to keep my front windows open and use the horn frequently on bends although there may in reality be no other vehicles for miles. However, on the twisty single-track C-road into Port Vendres from one of my favourite walking areas in Catalonia there is a warning sign of a horn crossed out on one stretch, presumably at the request of the owners of the expensive new homes nearby. There are several unsighted bends there with a near vertical drop on one side so this right-hand-drive-car driver tends to take a chance with disturbing the peace.
|
|
|
Better to proceed slowly, regardless. Round here some people crest the canal bridges much too fast, having hooted presumably to cause any oncoming traffic to evaporate. Now and again the magic doesn't work, and a wall is often demolished at some point in the ensuing coming together.
I don't hoot at most of them out of consideration for the occupants of the adjacent houses who must be absolutely sick of this. I would if it were necessary, but slowing down has worked for me for 17 years so far. The people who are coming towards you too fast are probably the ones with the music so loud they wouldn't hear a hoot anyway.
|
The people who are coming towards you too fast are probably the ones with the music so loud they wouldn't hear a hoot anyway.
Or driving a noisy diesel with SWMBO yacking away telling you to"slow down at this bend". Not sure if I'd hear the horn with my earplugs in!
|
Problem solved?
tinyurl.com/mtbf75
|
|
Bring back the klaxon - not least because it's such a lovely word.
|
|
|
Problem solved? tinyurl.com/mtbf75
Now that's what I call being horny!
|
|
Yes,they sell them but I have a genuine one(1932).I also have the parts of a hand-operated one(handle on back-not a push lever one) and I have sold a high-frequency one,not a very interesting sound.
|
|
|
|
|
|
My old dad always used to honk at blind bends or summits on narrow roads and I do the same.
Spare a thought for nearby residents before you honk gratuitously.
|
I think it can leas to a false sense of security & should therefore not be part of the armoury of the defensive driver.
Consider: you honk. What then do you expect? A return honk? If no reply - is it then safe to continue at a slighlty higher speed than you can see the braking distance for? No it can't be can it - the other (potential) 'vehicle' might be a cyclist, a noisy tractor or simply someone who doesn't hear you horn/ register its signifigance etc.
If you hear a return honk - great: you'll both (hopefully) then moderate your speed appropriate to the circumstance - but you should do that anyway.
What's the etiquette when hearing a honk on a blind corner/limited access road though?
Do you give the 1st honker priority or the return honker? Where there's confusion in 'signage' there's greater danger.
All in all a bad idea in my view. I go about assuming that any country lane/blind corner (of which there are many where I live..) will suddenly yield a pregnant woman being rushed to maternity, a van driver late for his appointment (or supper..), an unwieldy tractor or young buck (or buckess) exploring the limited horsepower of a wide-wheeled Saxo or Nova.
|
Gents, you're missing the point, I think.
Honking is a way of letting another driver know I'm there. I drive in the country often enough to know that it's not uncommon for a young idiot to be barrelling along without a thought of what might be around the next bend.
I don't imagine it makes me invincible, nor that it will clear the road in front of me, nor do I do it where there are adjacent houses (I did mention I was talking about the country: where there are houses, there generally aren't many blind bends anyway ... ;)).
In fact, I do as I hope we all would do (sorry if that sounds sententious): having honked to let any approaching driver know I'm there, I proceed cautiously and at a speed at which I could pull up safely in the space I can see.
|
|
It is all very well honking but if you have just been saluted by an AA employee as you drive past you can be distracted and forget to honk at the appropriate time
|
|
|
|
Where I live, it is customary to honk on the rare occasion when one comes across another motorist. It is also common practice to honk at cyclists to intimidate them and assert one's superiority. On the rare occasion when I venture into more populated parts, I have a nasty habit of continuing these practices.
In all seriousness, honking at blind junctions/bends is a good idea. That's what the horn is for, it's an audible warning device.
|
I operate my horn whilst driving through narrow country lanes near me, especially as they have eight foot tall bushes either side.
I think air conditioning in cars has made this kind of trip hazardous if you can't hear anything from the outside, not that I have air con though.
|
|
|
|
|
I think the only time my car's horn gets used is during MOT tests. I'd had the car about 6 months before I realised I hadn't checked whether it worked or not.
|
|
|
