My mistake, but...

[frog]

I can never understand just what use a horn is. I drive using both hands and both feet. If I see something ahead which might cause me to change my direction and/or speed then I'm far too busy to use the horn because I'm covering the indicator in case I have to pull out, covering the brake and clutch because I might need to change speed and checking the mirrors. Just what do I have spare to use on the horn?

I've only been driving for thirty years and the only time I ever hear the horn on my car is when it goes in for it's MOT

 

[Arch]

I can never understand just what use a horn is. I drive using both hands and both feet. If I see something ahead which might cause me to change my direction and/or speed then I'm far too busy to use the horn because I'm covering the indicator in case I have to pull out, covering the brake and clutch because I might need to change speed and checking the mirrors. Just what do I have spare to use on the horn?

If it was one in the middle of the wheel, maybe you should headbutt it...

But yes, if you have time to use the horn, generally, you don't really need to. Evasive action should be more instinctive.

 

[Cab]

Hang on, you are assuming that the driver was using it to vent anger. My point all along has been that we don't know the driver's side of the story. It's perfectly understandable that he MIGHT have been angry.

If you get angry every time someone makes a minor error on the roads, being a taxi driver is probably not the best job for you. And it was a pretty minor error; I neither endangered myself nor anyone else, but it would probably have looked like I might have done.

It's equally possible that he might have been attempting to draw Cab's attention to his dangerous or potentially dangerous behaviour. At no point has Cab said that he acknowledged the honk to the driver.

How does one acknowledge a honk? Wave at him? Thumbs up? Hand up? Frankly I didn't have time for any of those.

In this case the tacsi driver may have been using it as a warning device, to ensure that Cab was aware of his dangerous behaviour. Which is permissable in your terms. What one person deems "excessive" can be different from what another deems "excessive".

The law of the land governs what is or is not acceptable use of the horn. He broke that law. Really, its that simple.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

How long does the law of the land state that warning another of your presence should be?

 

[Tetedelacourse]

or take?

 

[Cab]

How long does the law of the land state that warning another of your presence should be?

When its a warning. If you keep sounding your horn after you pass then you're no longer sounding a warning, you're being a tit.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

If he was warning you as to your behaviour and you didn't acknowledge it then he has every right to continue attempting to warn you.

 

[Cab]

If he was warning you as to your behaviour and you didn't acknowledge it then he has every right to continue attempting to warn you.

No, he doesn't. The horn is not there to educate people who you believe have done something wrong but now shown humility about it, its there to warn people of immediate danger. Once that immediate danger has passed then you don't sound your horn any more, if you do then you are breaking the rules.

But more to the point, how was I meant to acknowledge him? Look at him? Did that. Wave at him? I was busy indicating to turn, didn't really have time to change gestures.

 

[BentMikey]

I'm not sure Cab actually made a real traffic mistake. Sure, he unintentionally gave the cabbie a surprise, but surely that's all? OTOH the cabbie seems to have reacted way over the top and with far too much aggression on the horn.

I could perhaps understand why many of you would want to whale on Cab for some of his earlier posts, but there's no reason to do the same on this one, IMO.

 

[domtyler]

Come on Cab, let it go. All this quibbling over minor technicalities and being overly pedantic about the letter of the law is not doing you or your blood pressure any good. Acknowledge the fact that you messed up. Deal with the fact that the taxi driver was a bit of a tit, and move on.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

It's clear to me that Cab didn't make much of a mistake. At no point did I imply that he had.

All I'm saying is I think he could be more understanding of the actions of a motorist who didn't harm or endanger him in any way, rather than calling the bloke a tit, a pillock etc etc.

I think I'm done on this one (again).

 

[Cab]

Come on Cab, let it go. All this quibbling over minor technicalities and being overly pedantic about the letter of the law is not doing you or your blood pressure any good. Acknowledge the fact that you messed up. Deal with the fact that the taxi driver was a bit of a tit, and move on.

In my very first post I acknowledged I made a mistake. I'm cool with that, we all make mistakes, no problem there.

And I'm not all stressed out about a bloke sounding his horn at me days ago. I'm merely continuing a fairly calm discussion on whether its reasonable to continue sounding a horn after an incident (it clearly isn't).