HOT TOPICS
SPOTLIGHT AGENCIES
Anti-Honk Kria Yoga
Written By Ravi_D - 13 July, 2009
Traffic Bangalore Driving Pollution Citizen Reports
Ever thought of driving without honking in B'lore? 'Are you insane?'...
Generally I hate to listen to more noise than is absolutely necessary. Think of horribly noisy rikshaws, people honking every 15 seconds, a neighbour drilling a borewell through the night. So, I try not to use my horn unless, ofcourse.... you know.
To my luck, the horn on my year old car stopped working Thursday last week. Apparently the part in the steering column to get it fixed is not a stocked item. Don't know if it is illegal, but thought why not try some 'homk-less drivining'. Have been at it for more than 8 days now. So, here goes the report.
Result: No kiss marks on my car. On the average, the experiment cost me a few (negligible) extra minutes (to commute 15 kms or so each way on Mysore Road and city centre daily).
Now the 'experience' part:
Frankly, first trip was scary. We are not supposed to use the rearview mirror (if by chance that is not folded or broken) you see - guy in front expects to 'hear you out'. Without the luxury of hooooonnnnk, invariably I was forced to slow down each time and wait for my path to clear. But as kms passed, confidence grew.
On two occassions, pedestrians decided to jump from the median right in front of me, without even a glance (since they only have ears to hear you out on both sides and not mirrors). Once, the guy was so close when he decided to take a leap (I was doing may be 40s), my heart was up in my throat. Fortunately those disk brakes, ABS and fairly empty side lane did the trick. That guy and others around were really confused if they should shout at me or not. Of course the thumb rule says the car driver is always at fault. But enough had noticed his great leap forward to chew his a** instead.
As a daily routine, ricks and two wheelers drive on the wrong side in front of BHEL on Mysore Road. When there is a chance, I try to block their way, and honk my heart out. But these days the routine is trying to block the way with a sheepish smile on my face.
Invariably, I always lost the duals where one out of two cars (or less often, ricks or buses) noses up front by cutting the other off. Tradition demands that you honk, and just go, right? I could never 'just go' to beat the other guy - how could I be sure those bikes all around had 'heard me out'?.
Downside? Worst case - Extra few minutes of driving each way.
So, go ahead. It is safe not to honk when you don't have to. If you don't believe me, try out Ravi's 'no-honk-kriya' for a day and report here. I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Ravi
COMMENTS
faiqg - 13 July, 2009 - 08:04
It is easy to be on the road without honking for kilometers and days together. Meeting friends or a good movie is a better stress reliever than honking with each breath.On my motorbike i seldom find a need to use the horn. On my bicycle, well i didnt get a bell installed.
I happened to see a bumper sticker "Honk if you are stupid"(or something to that effect) in the city few days back.
In Indore, the traffic police would stop pressure horn users and fine them. It is illegal to use pressure horns in city limits.
Isn't there something similar in Bangalore Traffic Rules/Guidlines(official)?
Ravi_D - 13 July, 2009 - 04:00
A reminder: Don't cut your horn wires off yet. There are plenty occassions where yourself and/or others might be at risk if you don't honk.
Ravi
s_yajaman - 13 July, 2009 - 04:45
Ravi,
Fully second your findings. My horn works fine, but I rarely use it. Typically most of my journeys will have no honking. There are days when I drive 50-60 km and still don't use my horn. I have driven till Bandipur from Bangalore and using the horn only a couple of times.
Defensive driving is what is needed. The average speed in this city is some 15 kmph. Slowing down the odd time to let a pedestrian pass or at crossroads (vs. honking loudly through) cannot cost you too much time. All that saved time will be taken up at the next signal.
Of course I never ever honk at a traffic light when it turns green or at a stalled vehicle. Chances are that the person will start up faster without getting all hassled by the honking from the back. Basic presumption is that people really don't want to spend more time than necessary on the roads.
I have also trained all my regular taxi drivers that speeding and honking (needlessly) inside the city is not okay and it can cost them my business.
Hopefully more people will limit their honking.
Srivathsa
rs - 13 July, 2009 - 05:26
I never use the horn - have never found an occasion to use it. One just has to slow down near interesections and near people. In the nights, flashing lights acts as effectively. Well, let me be more precise - the few times I have used the horn have been out of frustration - which is why the majority of people use it.
Some people who ride with me sometimes worry about my non-usage - they claim `people expect it' or I'll take forever to reach my destination. The truth is that I usually travel faster than most people and am usually more relaxed at the end.
In fact, in Mumbai, one really great thing which reduces horn noise is the fact that BEST busses only have the rubber horns - they dont have the ridiculous power horns which are common in BMTC busses and private busses. And I'm sure their safety record is much higher than BMTC.
Ramesh
I honk only when animals are in my way..not to our carbon copy
Vasanthkumar Mysoremath - 13 July, 2009 - 05:50
Yes, honking is a disease in urban driving scenario.
One derives some psychological satisfaction of having honked and expressed his intolerance to the driver in front and then puts on the music only to hear the same intolerant honking alert from the driver behind him. That is the only purpose it serves.
- Civilised people should honk only to make animals move away if they are in front of their vehicle because they understand and really make way; whereas, our carbon copies in front of us will only say - shut up and ignore us.
- Vasanth Mysoremath
PRAJA.IN COMMENT GUIDELINES
Posting Guidelines apply for comments as well. No foul language, hate mongering or personal attacks. If criticizing third person or an authority, you must be fact based, as constructive as possible, and use gentle words. Avoid going off-topic no matter how nice your comment is. Moderators reserve the right to either edit or simply delete comments that don't meet these guidelines. If you are nice enough to realize you violated the guidelines, please save Moderators some time by editing and fixing yourself. Thanks!