No Honking!!!

I pass this hoarding every day on my way to the office. It requests citizens to celebrate “No honking” day on the 10th of every month. I am not sure about other cities in India, but we have a lot of nice initiatives like this one in Bangalore. No honking day, Bus day, hitch a ride etc. are some of the initiatives that are carried out in public interest.
The concept of no honking, however suits me the best (if you are stuck in Bangalore’s traffic, I’m sure it’ll suit you as well). The amount of noise pollution caused by honking vehicles is simply unbelievable, leave alone the smoke these vehicles emit (I just got my bike’s PUC {Pollution Under Control} done….:-) )!!! I sometimes think that people honk as their hobby…..Got bored of doing the same mundane driving? Nothing exciting?? Blow your horn…This way they create music as well. Awesome entertainment, at the cost of all others on the road…But who cares?

A horn can be blown for various reasons;
1. When irritated with the vehicle in front
2. When generally irritated in life
3. When happy in life
4. When they get a new horn
5. When they have to signal their girlfriend to come out for a small little peek
6. When they have to show their rival gangs that they are passing by
7. To irritate people staying in calm localities
8. A newbie on the wheel etc.
So, blowing horns have different reasons. You can make out from the sound of it, what kind of a honk it is. A few years ago, pressure horns had swept the market. You can hear them today as well, even-though, they have been banned long back…But does it matter?

A thought crossed my mind as I passed that hoarding. What if vehicles didn’t have horns at all? Basic reason for a horn to be present in a vehicle is safety, right? But how many times do we see people blowing their horns for safety? (There is no such reason mentioned above!) OK, maybe, I am talking extremes here, but then, can’t they be under controlled noise levels? Why ban just pressure horns? Why not reduce the acceptable noise levels for normal vehicles. Don’t you feel horns these days are too loud? I like horns of high end cars like BMW, Audi, Mercedes etc. They seem to have taken care of my concern here. If you notice well, they aren’t as harsh as other cars in the market. Another thing that can be done is, ban horns at night. You can flash your lights if you want to signal other vehicles. Horns should be allowed only during the day (that too under controlled decibels)!!!

But, I know, I am talking things which are next to impossible, at least in my country….However, I am going to try not to honk, not only on the 10th of every month, but everyday (According to my dad, it’s a sign of a good driver!!!).