Anonymous
02/09/2026 14:01
Subject: How often do you blow the horn every day?
Anonymous wrote:Unless someone is about to get hurt, there should never be any need to beep aggressively.
I was in such a situation years ago, when a semi was trying to execute a rotational backing maneuver and did not realize it was pushing against a small car with an elderly driver inside, who was trapped because their driver side door was being slowly crushed against the side of the semi. We were a bunch of cars at the nearest red light (Arlington Rd in downtown Bethesda), and we ALL beeped. Finally people got out of their cars to wave at the truck driver, and someone ran to the semi driver, climbed up to his window and alerted him by banging on his window. The poor car driver was helped out safely from their crushed car. They would have died if people hadn't intervened.
Rarely, I try a very small beep when the driver in front of me hasn't noticed the green light, but only if it's been a while, which hardly ever happens. Even if I'm running late, I don't beep for minor things - it's so rude, and it contributes to urban noise pollution.
I don't understand aggressive people who beep all the time. In my opinion, they're the problem.
You sound annoying.
Anonymous
02/09/2026 14:00
Subject: How often do you blow the horn every day?
Every time I am in the car. I even honk the horn as a passenger.
Anonymous
02/09/2026 13:50
Subject: How often do you blow the horn every day?
OMG I really thought this was a euphimism for something more $exual
Anonymous
02/09/2026 13:44
Subject: How often do you blow the horn every day?
Blow the horn? I thought this was about the Jewish holidays for a minute. What an odd, old-fashioned way of putting it.
Anonymous
02/09/2026 13:30
Subject: How often do you blow the horn every day?
Anonymous wrote:I probably do a gentle "hey, the light is green now" honk once or twice a month. People are always looking at their phones. But I try to make this a short little honk -- not trying to contribute to noise pollution for the surrounding area or stress people out, just trying to avoid sitting through a light for no reason.
A true "wth are you doing?!" honk? Maybe once a year. Usually in a freeway situation where I'm trying to let someone know that what they are doing is dangerous.
Same. "Hey dude, the light turned green a full 3 seconds ago" tap of the horn, once a month or so. A "OMG WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU NEED TO LOOK BEFORE YOU MERGE, YOU ALMOST KILLED ME, A-HOLE", or a "STOP!! YOU'RE ABOUT TO HIT ME AND I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT- STOP!!!!" long blare of the horn happens maybe twice a year.
If you're honking every time someone veers out of their lane a little, or merges a little too close for your comfort but you can easily correct course to let them in, or refuses to particiapte in a zipper merge or refuses to participate in appropriate 4-way stop turn-taking when there are cars at each corner, then you need to chill out.
Anonymous
02/09/2026 12:47
Subject: How often do you blow the horn every day?
Anonymous wrote:I do the quick beep about once a week when someone is sitting at a light not moving. I use a true WTF blare every month or two. The most recent was about 3 weeks ago when someone inexplicably decided to pull out right in front of me from a side street. They had a stop sign, maybe they thought I did as well (I didn't).
Those intersections are very dangerous.
Anonymous
02/09/2026 12:31
Subject: How often do you blow the horn every day?
I do the quick beep about once a week when someone is sitting at a light not moving. I use a true WTF blare every month or two. The most recent was about 3 weeks ago when someone inexplicably decided to pull out right in front of me from a side street. They had a stop sign, maybe they thought I did as well (I didn't).
Anonymous
02/09/2026 12:29
Subject: How often do you blow the horn every day?
I can't stand this area and the drivers around here. At least once a day and that's controlled otherwise I would blow the horn like this is NYC.
Anonymous
02/09/2026 12:25
Subject: How often do you blow the horn every day?
Unless someone is about to get hurt, there should never be any need to beep aggressively.
I was in such a situation years ago, when a semi was trying to execute a rotational backing maneuver and did not realize it was pushing against a small car with an elderly driver inside, who was trapped because their driver side door was being slowly crushed against the side of the semi. We were a bunch of cars at the nearest red light (Arlington Rd in downtown Bethesda), and we ALL beeped. Finally people got out of their cars to wave at the truck driver, and someone ran to the semi driver, climbed up to his window and alerted him by banging on his window. The poor car driver was helped out safely from their crushed car. They would have died if people hadn't intervened.
Rarely, I try a very small beep when the driver in front of me hasn't noticed the green light, but only if it's been a while, which hardly ever happens. Even if I'm running late, I don't beep for minor things - it's so rude, and it contributes to urban noise pollution.
I don't understand aggressive people who beep all the time. In my opinion, they're the problem.
I was in such a situation years ago, when a semi was trying to execute a rotational backing maneuver and did not realize it was pushing against a small car with an elderly driver inside, who was trapped because their driver side door was being slowly crushed against the side of the semi. We were a bunch of cars at the nearest red light (Arlington Rd in downtown Bethesda), and we ALL beeped. Finally people got out of their cars to wave at the truck driver, and someone ran to the semi driver, climbed up to his window and alerted him by banging on his window. The poor car driver was helped out safely from their crushed car. They would have died if people hadn't intervened.
Rarely, I try a very small beep when the driver in front of me hasn't noticed the green light, but only if it's been a while, which hardly ever happens. Even if I'm running late, I don't beep for minor things - it's so rude, and it contributes to urban noise pollution.
I don't understand aggressive people who beep all the time. In my opinion, they're the problem.
Anonymous
02/09/2026 12:23
Subject: Re:How often do you blow the horn every day?
I almost never honk my horn. My husband honks his horn every time he drives. He is an aggressive driver. I keep telling him he is going to get us killed one day because of his temper.
Anonymous
02/09/2026 12:17
Subject: How often do you blow the horn every day?
Anonymous wrote:Every. goddam. day.
Multiple times a day, it's people sitting at a light, looking at their phones. They get the "Hey, buddy, pay attention!" double beep.
About once a week, it's someone blowing through the red light as I'm trying to drive out of my neighborhood on a green. They get the emergency/WTF blare.
Double beep multiple times a day? How about you try counting to three before being a jerk?
Anonymous
02/09/2026 12:16
Subject: How often do you blow the horn every day?
Anonymous wrote:Every. goddam. day.
Multiple times a day, it's people sitting at a light, looking at their phones. They get the "Hey, buddy, pay attention!" double beep.
About once a week, it's someone blowing through the red light as I'm trying to drive out of my neighborhood on a green. They get the emergency/WTF blare.
+1
Anonymous
02/09/2026 12:15
Subject: How often do you blow the horn every day?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I can’t get through a commute without needing to use the horn lately. Are divers just getting worse all the time?
What are you using the horn for? Other than making noise, what purpose does it serve? You're telling the driver in front of you to go?--They eventually will. Why do you need to remind them of what they need to do?
Not OP but there is a lot of inattentive driving out there and I do find myself increasingly using my horn to alert a driver who is not paying attention. Examples:
- sitting at a light long enough that a line of cars will not be able to move through the intersection, causing a backup
- drifting into my lane
- someone moving in reverse towards my vehicle
- driving the wrong way down a one-way street (there is a well-signed one way street a block from my house and once every couple months I watch someone attempt to turn the wrong way down this street)
- making an illegal left turn in front of me
- passing me in a way that is unsafe and/or illegal
Many of these are caused by people who are on their phone while driving. Honking your horn ideally forces them to look up and pay attention. I don't like doing it but I don't know how else to address it. Many of these could result in an accident, even those that won't result in an accident can cause major traffic snarls.
Anonymous
02/09/2026 12:09
Subject: Re:How often do you blow the horn every day?
Anonymous wrote:Once a year in what could be an actual accident. Maybe 2-3x yr very gently when someone clearly does not notice the light is now green (like over 5 full seconds have passed).
Otherwise no. Things tend to work themselves out, even at not the pace I would prefer (I’m a pretty speedy and alert driver). What’s the point. It just adds to the stress of a situation and there isn’t much to gain.
As a frequent pedestrian, I thank you. I hate drivers who are quick to honk.
Horns should blare in the car as loud as they do outside. People who over honk should have to deal with that noise just like I do.
If you are honking daily, YOU ARE THE PROBLEM.
Anonymous
02/09/2026 12:08
Subject: How often do you blow the horn every day?
Every. goddam. day.
Multiple times a day, it's people sitting at a light, looking at their phones. They get the "Hey, buddy, pay attention!" double beep.
About once a week, it's someone blowing through the red light as I'm trying to drive out of my neighborhood on a green. They get the emergency/WTF blare.
Multiple times a day, it's people sitting at a light, looking at their phones. They get the "Hey, buddy, pay attention!" double beep.
About once a week, it's someone blowing through the red light as I'm trying to drive out of my neighborhood on a green. They get the emergency/WTF blare.