Drivers should be heavily ticketed for honking at a vehicle waiting for a pedestrian

[CreekDog]

that is all.

I'm so sick of this nonsense.

And yes, I drive too.

[ti66er8pooh]

1. In Florida they can be for improper use of emergency horn

I'm not sure about other states, nor have I ever heard of anyone actually getting a ticket for it.

[unblock]

8. manhattan used to have the noisiest intersections

then, years ago, they introduced a law authorizing fines for honking. no excuse, honking is just plain illegal, giving traffic police discretion to enforce it as they please.

i haven't heard of anyone getting a ticket in a long time, but early on they certainly gave out a ton of tickets for this. now it's a LOT quieter. there's still the occasional honk, but i think they figure it's at an acceptable level now. it was really out of control before -- "red means stop, green means honk"

[skypilot]

12. That explains a lot.

I sometimes marvel at how relatively quiet Manhattan is compared to Philadelphia where I'm from.

[Mnemosyne]

2. I've had idiots practically hit the pedestrian while going around me because I stopped.

I hear you!

[dipsydoodle]

3. Agreed

I got the hump when a van driver honked me for stopping on a main arterial road west of London to wait for a Canadian goose to finish walking across it. Goose looked heavily pregnant and I guess couldn't fly.

[RudynJack]

7. I don't think

geese get pregnant.

[dipsydoodle]

14. Full of eggs then.

I know those can lay about 18 at a time. This happened last Thursday night. Poor sod still about about a half mile walk down to the Thames.

[RudynJack]

17. Nonetheless

I'm glad you stopped for her

[unblock]

4. i've seen studies that show that suggest that horns should be removed from cars entirely

they're one of the few features on a car that have been one virtually every single car since the very first one, and yet, today at least, they're really useless or worse.

in particular, they simply do not help avoid accidents. the reaction times involved before the honker honks followed by the reaction time of the driver who hears the honk, processes it, figures out what the noise is and what it's intended meaning is, then finally looks around and applies the brakes or floors it as applicable to avoid an accident -- you get the idea. it just doesn't ever happen.

occasionally it comes in handy letting a distracted driver know the light has turned green, but even then, most of the time it only saves a second or two. or it's useful to get the attention of a friend you happen to drive by, although yelling out the window serves the same purpose.

but of course the overwhelmingly preferred usage is simply to express some level of road rage.

[longship]

16. Except deer on the roads.

Here, where everybody who drives has hit, or been hit by, a deer, the car's horn is a pretty good defense. It scares the bejesus out of them and they run away. Even if you see them ahead of time they're still likely to run right into you. Stupid animals!

I use my horn whenever I see them near the road and they split.

[unblock]

25. i suppose that's true. personally, i just slow down to a crawl and let them cross.

[longship]

26. Me, too. But one time...

A damned deer spooked and ran right into the side of my car while I waited for them to clear off. Amazingly, not all of them run away from the horn, either. They are really dumb animals. One would think that evolution would sort this out given all the carcasses one sees on the roadsides here. Apparently, there is not enough brain matter for natural selection to leverage.

[Common Sense Party]

30. It just helped us avoid an accident 20 minutes ago.

A distracted driver wasn't looking, was about to turn out right in front of us, we had the right of way turning left onto her stret. My wife honked, she stopped, accident avoided.

[unblock]

5. i can't tell you how many times i've been honked for failing to make an illegal right on red

i need some sort of electronic sign for my back window so i can flash messages, e.g., "READ THE SIGN! NO RIGHT ON RED!"

[CreekDog]

6. Not surpised. I got honked at trying to cross San Bruno Avenue one night, in the crosswalk

multiple cars honked at me and didn't slow down as i tried, multiple times, to cross the street at night in a well lit crosswalk on a street with a 25 mph speed limit.

[lapislzi]

32. If that happens, I GET OUT OF THE CAR.

I walk back to the idiot motorist and inquire why he honked at me. I can usually use up at least one red light cycle doing this, and I have the satisfaction of doing exactly the opposite of what the other driver intended.

Ain't I a stinker?

[unblock]

38. very funny, and justice perhaps, but strictly for the movies. way too dangerous in real life.

deliberately provoking someone who's already angry at you while making yourself conveniently available as an unprotected target?

not for me, thank you. small consolation that they're in the wrong, not worth it at all.

[Niceguy1]

45. that is

a form of road rage

[Dash87]

9. Or worse the doofuses that go around you on a one lane street.

Other side of the road, blow through the crosswalk.

It's not hard to wait 10 seconds. It's hardly a large chunk of anyone's day. Others are ignorant of the laws and don't realize you have to yield to peds in crosswalks always.

[leftynyc]

10. When they do that in NYC

I stand right in front of the car and flip them the bird. And I keep standing there until the light turns red. The other pedestrians crack up.

[skypilot]

11. I can't begin to tell you...

...how much I agree with this. I see this nonsense all the time. It is fucking ridiculous. It especially bothers me when the honker is in truck, van, or SUV and as a result is sitting high enough to be able to see that the vehicle in front is waiting for pedestrians to cross. WTF!!!! Tickets and additional driver's ed. classes are definitely in order.

[Nye Bevan]

13. How about "heavily ticketing for honking in a non-emergency situation"?

The horn is intended for use in emergencies only.

[CreekDog]

15. i think this should be a priority over others because it endangers pedestrians

knowing that there are limited resources and 3 people are hit per day in San Francisco, this and other pedestrian protecting measures should be implemented.

i realize that since this is a "liberal" idea, namely protecting people who walk as opposed to drive, that you will probably oppose such an effort.

[Nye Bevan]

18. I see the point in your first paragraph.

Weird second paragraph, though.

[CreekDog]

19. with respect to the 1st paragraph --thank you.

[leftyohiolib]

20. yes let's contribute to the slow erosion of our rights- ticketing one exorcising their 1st amendment

rights

[CreekDog]

23. what a stupid post oh and "exorcising"

obviously removes what little credibility your post had to begin with.

[leftyohiolib]

29. attack the messenger not the message .. hmmm that sounds very familiar

[CreekDog]

31. i did attack your message

it was worthy of that.

[Common Sense Party]

33. It seems to me that the poster was attacking your message.

Quite vigorously and effectively, I might add.

[leftyohiolib]

39. effectively? yea that sure was a zinger from which i will never recover- my post was stupid but

ticketing for honking the horn that's brilliant and sensible and not at all a 1st amendment violation

[Common Sense Party]

42. How is it a 1st amendment violation, exactly?

What speech of yours is being stifled?

[NightWatcher]

21. Or pedestrians can hustle out of the way

Last edited Wed May 1, 2013, 02:54 PM - Edit history (1)

My truck versus your sneakers, hmm who's going to win that matchup?



J/k but pedestrians shouldn't linger excessively just because they have the right of way.


On edit: Holy shit people, I'm not advocating hitting people. I am advocating proper crossing.

[CreekDog]

22. almost half the pedestrians hit in SF are senior citizens, are they walking too slowly for you?

should they be running?

honestly, if pedestrians aren't walking fast enough for you, you need to stop driving.

[NightWatcher]

35. Most of the pedestrians hit here are caused by pedestrians who cross improperly

There are accidents monthly near my house where school kids don't use cross walks or run out into traffic. Earlier last month a group of kids stopped halfway in the road and taunted traffic, daring them to do anything.

As far as pedestrians who cross properly, I'll be the first to stop and let them go. I sure don't want to hit anyone.

My cheeky comment was aimed at people who don't cross responsibly.

I wonder if they count the accidents and what percentage are from pedestrians crossing improperly.

[CreekDog]

37. the OP was about people who get honked at for waiting for pedestrians

it's pretty simple isn't it?

[lapislzi]

34. Oh yes we can.

I will hustle when I see that the lights will be changing in a few seconds. But when the "walk" signal is flashing, walk is what I do. Sit there and wait, dammit.

[JohnnyBoots]

24. On this, we agree. NT

[dhill926]

27. agreed.......

[rdharma]

28. This explains the honking jerks........

[mnhtnbb]

36. I'm sick of drivers--on phones--driving right through crosswalks with pedestrians in them!

Hubby almost met his maker that way a few weeks ago. And last Sunday night?
Something told me to wait when the WALK sign flashed instead of step off the curb
and damn if some witch--on a phone--didn't blast right around the corner.
Turned out it was the SAME intersection where hubby almost got creamed.

[LiberalAndProud]

40. Why is it that we're so sensitive to stupid honking?

I was stopped at a red light with no turn signal because I wasn't going to turn. The driver behind me wanted to make a right turn on red, but I was in his way. He honked. Other than proving that the other driver is mostly an idiot, the honk accomplished nothing, but I was offended. I'm over it, but the other driver is still an idiot.

[CreekDog]

41. Because the honking is imploring the safe driver to do something unsafe

that's not being "sensitive". that honking is unsafe and distracting from the safe decision.

[LiberalAndProud]

43. I'm sure you're right.

Still for me it's a hot button that provokes an unthinking emotional response almost automatically. Perhaps it's Pavlovian, or maybe it's because of those times I probably deserved to be honked at. I don't know.

[lapislzi]

44. If I'm a jerk, I'll take my lumps

We all do dumb things from time to time. If I realize that the other driver was right to honk because I was inattentive or otherwise causing a hazard, I will do the little Wave of Shame and correct myself.

But do not effing honk at me when I obey posted signs and speed limits. Just don't.