Horns

The world if full of many types of horns.  Unicorns have them.  Some musicians have them.  Your car has one, and that's the horn we'll be reviewing today.  Nowadays, I guess they're not actually horns, but we still call them that.  They still serve the same purpose, even though the majority of drivers I have witnessed using them don't seem to realize what that purpose is.

The first part of today's review will be spent discerning what use the horn is supposed to have.  The horn, found within your steering wheel, is intended to be a warning device.  Are your brakes out and you can't stop?  You might want to honk your horn to let others know of your impending doom so they can move and survive.  Is someone attempting to merge, not seeing you in their blind spot?  Give a friendly honk so they cease their maneuver and avoid an accident.  While there is some disagreement, many feel it is also acceptable to honk your horn to alert those in front of you that the light has turned green when they do not move upon the initial change.

For my own part, I only intend to use the horn if it is to avoid an accident.  I am not a fan of the horn and don't like loud noises.  If someone around me honks, I usually become alert but also jumpy.  I'm wondering if someone is about to cause an accident.  I do not know what the inventor of the car horn expected, but I like to think I am using it properly and reacting in the proper way.

Unfortunately, I don't think everyone else knows what the horn is intended to be used for.  Your horn is not to tell me that you think it is a good time for me to merge onto 501; I'm going to wait for the big, four door truck to pass before I do so.  It's called defensive driving.  You could also refer to it as not being a suicidal idiot.  Your horn is not to tell me that you think it is okay for me to make that right turn on red.  I'm aware of the law, but you are only supposed to make a right turn on red when there is no oncoming traffic that may cause a collision.

I know it may seem wrong of me to make comments about the driving in general, since I haven't been doing it very long.  Well, it turns out that a good driver has common sense.  I am probably a bit over-cautious right now, but that doesn't make me wrong.  It just gives us a difference of opinion.  If I can't merge or turn and get up to speed before the oncoming car reaches me, I'm going to wait.  It's that simple.  Your horn is not for you to voice your disagreement.  The horn is to serve as a warning device.

In summary, the car horn is a misunderstood and incorrectly utilized piece of equipment that we have the ability to use many times each day.  The majority of motorists recognize that it should not be used lightly, but the people that are often using it do so incorrectly and without cause.  The horn happy drivers need to learn what is and is not proper use of the horn.  In time, what the honking of a horn signifies may change.  If people keep honking at me, it may come to symbolize the unpleasant conversation I will have with them when I get out of my car and march back to theirs to find out what their problem is.  Mark is currently fearing this day.  Maybe the Mayans predicted it...