Rant: Are some drivers deaf or just jerks?
 

Is it just me, or have others noticed it too? For the past few years it seems other drivers completely ignore my car horn.

For example...Driving to work this morning, as I was passing a slower car that was in the right lane, the driver began to move left into my lane, without signaling & obviously without looking. I sounded my horn & he just continued with his lane change. If I had not hit the brakes hard he clearly would have hit me.

It seems that years ago, the sound of my horn would have signaled to the other driver to quickly swerve back into his lane.

I have had many similar situations over the past few years where drivers just continue with their lane change rather than react to my horn.

Do you think it has anything to do with an increased number of aggressive drivers? For example, if these drivers make boneheaded moves on a regular basis, they probably get honked at (& "saluted") on a regular basis. Perhaps they have been conditioned to ignore horns.

What do you think? Have others noticed this problem?

Thanks for listening. I feel better now.

Was he on the phone?

Yeah. Maybe your horn was interrupting an important call. How rude!

IMO, too many people use horns for anger purposes. Here in Chicago, it's almost constant. They're honking like madmen almost constantly, many shaking their fists. When people do that, eventually those around tune it out, as it's never a warning around here anymore, it's just someone pissed off at someone else for whatever stupid reason they get pissed off at in their car.

The horn should be used for what it's intended, to warn of danger. If people did that, others wouldn't tune it out, they would know it's for real.

Not directed towards you whatsoever, I don't know you. This is an observation I've made in recent years. People tuning it out because they're no longer used for danger.

Funny you mention that. I've had my daily driver for more than a year. I've never sounded the horn.

When I lived in New York, drivers would tap their horns at intersections the INSTANT the light turned green. That was hard to get used to.

That's why cars need two horns.

One that says "meep! meep! excuse me please!"

And another that says "MWAAAAA MWAAAA FK OFFFF!!!"

I would imagine the driver was simply listening to the 1000 watt amp setup (heavy metal) and dialing his cell while drinking a coffee and munching on a Dunkin donut. What do you want him to do, actually pay attention to all those other drivers on the road.:mad:

I find people on the East Coast use horns a lot more than in Los Angeles. There its constant.

You should go to Shanghai...

Trust me, that hasnt changed one bit!

You need a better horn.

up here in Seattle, using your horn has slid into the domain of road rage :rolleyes:

Unless I need to take action to avoid a collision, I will ignore a car horn also. If I slid off an icy road into a snow bank and was trapped in the car, I would use the horn. Otherwise, honking just seems like whining and complaining, to me. I've held a drivers' license continually for more than 35 year now and I shudder to think how many miles I've driven. I very much enjoy driving. I can count on one hand the times I have honked a horn.

The same in Thailand. It seems people there though, use the horn as a driving tool, letting people know there is omeone close, aking a move, etc. It's not necessarily used as a "@#@$%# - YOU!" kinda tool. :D

Randy

The puny horns on a motorcycle are just extra weight. If some clown's moving over on me I can think of more productive uses of my time then fumbling around for a horn that sounds like someone strangling a duck.
Jim

the p.o. of my car installed 2 aftermarket horns
now I have stereo honkage at about a billion decibals
nearly blew out my eardrums when i hit it by accident removing the steering wheel
havn't touched it since then...

I swear, if my horn stopped working I probably wouldn't notice for a year (um, actually, I think that has happened to me before). A friend of mine seems to use his every other time I ride with him.
-Chris

I think I blow mine about 3-4 times a year. Generally it's because someone on a cell phone decided to merge with me, no, I do mean that they try to share the same place at the same time. I'll honk the horn right before I hit the brakes so they know. Sometimes it works and they stay in their lane, sometimes it doesn't.

In the 911, I had enough grunt and stop to get the job done. In the miata, I have the stop, but not the grunt.

Horn? I can't remember the last time I used mine (I don't even have one in the 911). Ever make an error in judgement yourself? Chill out, people crap the sheets all the time behind the wheel, you too probably. They are probably not doing it on purpose....

Honk your horn and maybe they feel so stupid they don't want to acknowledge you? who knows..

But, it is as easy to hit the brake pedal as it is to hit the horn.


Cheers

I drove an ambulance working my way through college. It is incredible how many drivers oversee and overhear a big chevy van with sirens on and lights flashing. Those sirens were loud compared to a regular car horn. After that experience I decided to err on the save side and always asume that they will not hear you. I suppose this gets worse as cars get better insulation, bigger stereos and cell phones (not to mention the operating navigation systems, SMS-ing, reading newspapers, doing make-up etc)

Good question, but no, it did not look like he was on the phone.

Someone said I need a better horn. That's interesting because I have considered putting air horns on the car (like I have on a couple of other cars I have owned).

I am not sure if it would have helped, but it sure wouldn't hurt.

By the way, I think my 911 has a pretty good horn.

I hope I don't come off sounding like a jerk (and I really don't want to) but do you suppose you might be able to modify your driving to avoid the situations that require the use of your horn?

I'm not saying you would do this but I'm sure you've seen drivers that when they think you are going to start to merge - they speed up to block you. And if you merge anyway, they honk their horn. Who's the jerk then?

I took a trip couple of months ago, drove across country and back with a friend and I don't remember using my horn even once. You look way ahead and anticipate as best you can, the actions of others. Brakes last longer too.

-Chris

Chris -- I hear what you are saying, but I really don't think that is the problem.

In yesterday's example, it was a 4-lane road (2 lanes each direction), with virtually no traffic except me & the other car. I was traveling about 5-10 mph faster than he was.

As I was passing him in the left lane, about when my front bumper was even with his rear wheel, he decided to change lanes. Without signaling & without looking.

I immediately honked & he continued with his lane change -- no reaction whatsoever. If I had not braked hard, he would have hit me.

I don't think it was my problem. Heck, I was probably only going about 5 mph over the speed limit.

The other driver could have a psychological or psychiatric problem, either short-term or long-term, causing him to act impulsively and irrationally at the moment you tried to pass him. Maybe he's an alcoholic with anger issues, and just got fired from his job. Maybe he just got screwed in divorce court. Maybe he's on a psychotropic med that isn't working properly. Maybe he wanted to be first in line, to have that feeling of having the open road in front of him (all too common these days). There's all kinds of people on the roads..

Had the exact same situation happen to me about 2 weeks ago on the highway. I think people have just become indifferent. They just don't care. And no, I didn't do the prickish maneuver you described, ChrisBennet. Next time it happens, I'm calling 911 and reporting a possible drunk. After all, why else would someone drive like that? :rolleyes: Of course, that's not so easy to do when I'm on the motorcycle...

It's possible he was deaf. My Mother in Law is deaf and she drives.

Grandpa's Advice

Verse 1
I remember Sunday drivin’ in my Grandpa’s car
Old songs on the radio; the smell of his cigar
Everybody d’ honk at him because he’d drive so slow
He’d just laugh and tell me, “Kid, here’s something you should know”

Chorus 1
They’re all jerks,
When you’re out here on your own
Just assume that everybody else is half-asleep or stoned
They’re all jerks,
And not a one knows how to drive
So you gotta pay attention to make it home alive
I’ll give you my philosophy, I guarantee it works
Repeat it after me, kid,
They’re all jerks.

Verse 2
He said, “They’ll let any fool with money buy himself a car
And you can get a license here, however dumb you are
Oh they all turn into hotrods when they slide behind the wheel
When you get old enough to drive, remember here’s the deal:”
Repeat Chorus 1

Verse 3
Twenty-five years later, I’ve got children of my own
And I do all the driving between school and work and home
Sometimes on the weekends we head out for the beach
Now with the kids strapped in the backseat now it’s my turn to teach
So everytime I’m cut off by some wise-guy in a truck
Or some hero in a sportscar whose gotta push his luck
I don’t get scared or angry, I just sing this little song
It always cheers me up to hear my children sing along

Chorus 2
They’re all jerks
When you’re out here on your own
Just assume that everybody else is drunk or on the phone
They’re all jerks,
Not a one knows how to drive
So you gotta pay attention to make it home alive
I’ll give you my philosophy, I guarantee it works
Repeat it after me, kids,
They’re all jerks
I said Repeat it after me, kids,
They’re all jerks