Power of the horn

There aren’t many rules for driving on the streets of Bangalore…or at least few follow them. Stop signs are typically decoration items, and sidewalks sometimes become streets. But, the horn is a suprisingly effective tool for navigating the roads. Although most drivers won’t stay in their own lane, they will usually move a little to the side if someone is honking behind them. Most drivers seem to use horns more than side mirrors to guide them. Why bother looking in the side mirror? Just starting moving over…if someone honks, move back.

There are even some unique horns out there that get additional attention. We had the pleasure of being in a cab with such a horn. The driver would press the horn once, and the sound would resonate for minute (tunna, nunna, nuna, nu…). Annyoned by the sound, Prashanth asked the driver if he would stop using the horn. The driver looked at him like he was crazy…as if Prashanth was asking him not to use the brake!

On the back of many trucks, there’s a sign that says “sound horn ok”. I think the sign means that the driver is giving others permission to honk their horn if he’s in the way. Of course, spending just a few minutes in the city proves that no such sign is needed. Most drivers never hesitate to honk, even if the vehicle doesn’t have the sign.

At night, the sound of horns on the road decreases. And the blinding highbeams are put to use!

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