The only real legal purpose of a car horn is to ensure safety and it should never be used unnecessarily. Below we will highlight some typical dos and don’ts when it comes to using your horn.
DO – Honk your horn if someone is veering into your lane and is going to cause a collision.
DO – Honk your horn if a pedestrian is walking into a dangerous traffic situation. For example, if you see a vehicle coming down an alleyway which someone is about to cross, honk your horn to warn both the driver and the pedestrian.
DO – Honk your horn if you see wildlife on the road that you are about to collide with to potentially scare them off the road. Also make sure to decelerate your vehicle because the horn won’t always work to scare them off.
DON’T – Honk your horn if someone doesn’t immediately move at a green light. You could potentially startle them and cause an accident.
DON’T – Honk your horn when picking someone up from their house, it disturbs people who live in the neighbourhood. It can also cause other drivers in the vicinity to look around which is an unnecessary distraction.
DON’T – Honk your horn out of anger or impatience for another driver. For example, if someone is taking their time to turn and you’re behind them waiting, DON’T honk at them. This could cause them to lose their concentration and potentially cause them to turn unsafely.
You should only be using your horn for safety purposes as it can be potentially dangerous when used improperly. Please keep calm when driving and try to avoid using your car horn unless absolutely necessary.