The sound of horn honking can have the same effect on people as nails on a chalkboard: They instantly cringe at the offending sound and feel their blood pressure rise drastically. Although horn honking has an appropriate time and place, some drivers use the horn for all sorts of offenses: laying on the horn to tell off other drivers, honking at pedestrians who are taking too long to cross the street, and alerting the neighborhood that they are impatiently waiting outside to give someone a lift. The way you react to horn honking can give plenty of insight into your character.
The Retaliator
If someone unjustly honks the horn at you, you may be the type to retaliate. The retaliator will use the horn to vent his frustration right back at the offending driver. For good measure, the retaliator may flip the other car the bird and shout out a few choice words that would be censored on network TV. Although you may feel better after the exchange, your actions may be illegal. For instance, New York City has an ordinance that fines drivers up to $350 if they use their horn in non-emergency situations.
Sit and Stew Type
Some drivers will do nothing if they hear the dreaded honking directed at them. They may mumble a curse under their breath and grind their teeth together, but otherwise they do nothing to retaliate. If you’re the type of person who stews over the smallest of offenses, the horn honking may haunt you for long after the sounds have faded. But there’s no reason to hang onto your rage. Release your irritation by taking long and deep cleansing breaths. Getting mad isn’t changing the behavior of the person and will only ruin your mood.
The Go With the Flow Driver
As loathe, as we are to admit, no one is a perfect driver. We make mistakes and can often appreciate another driver calling us out on our bad behavior. In these cases, you may actually rejoice when a Good Samaritan uses her horn to give us an audible warning. If you are putting yourself or another person in a potentially dangerous situation, then horn honking can prove to be a lifesaver. Examples of acceptable occurrences are when a pedestrian is in your crosshairs or you’re backing out of a parking spot and don’t see another car coming your way. If you’re the type to admit when you’re wrong, then you’re likely to give a friendly wave at the horn honker and mouth a “thank you” to the driver before pulling away.
The Comedian
Despite etiquette saying horn honking in non-emergent situations are a big “no, no,” some people live to annoy others around them. They likely respond to a horn-honking friend by honking longer and louder in turn. If a friend beeps twice, then you’ll beep three times. This is your way of saying “what’s up?". The comedian is also the type to joyously lay on the horn when passing a sign that says “Honk if you love adorable kittens.” Keep in mind that there are dangers of honking for fun. You could startle another driver and inadvertently cause a crash. And there’s nothing funny about that.
No matter how you react to honking, it’s a good idea to keep horn honking etiquette in the back of your mind. For example, give a quick toot to let someone know they are zoned out at a green light in lieu of blasting on the horn. Also, practice patience in even stressful driving situations. Although blowing on the horn may make you feel proactive when stuck in a traffic jam, the act will actually not help magically clear away the cars from your path.
At an online traffic school, you can learn all about the do’s and don’ts of driving behavior. A good driver will have a positive attitude and know how to appropriately respond to the stress of horn honking. Learning how to communicate in a courteous manner will only make your driving experience all that more enjoyable.
Online traffic school courses are a good option if you’d like to become a better driver or if you’ve received a moving violation. You may have the ticket dismissed after completing an online traffic school course or have points removed from your license. You may also be awarded a discount from your auto insurance provider after successful completion of a safe driver program.
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