Close Call

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Discussion

Löyly

17,990 posts

158 months

Thursday 13th October 2016
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popeyewhite said:
Please, please please don't do this. Think of others. People go to the countryside for peace and quiet, not to listen to the beeping of car horns. Lots of sheep on and around the roads here as well - you want to frighten them into the path of another vehicle? Really, just drive according to the conditions.
Jesus wept. You seem to be as stupid as you are soft. The horn is a proper and legitimate tool to be used in the appropriate situation. No, it's not meant to be used as a rebuke when you're cut up.

It's an excellent safety device. I quite like to use it on approach to sections where the road narrows and there is no crossview, or on approach to narrow bridges, where the structure occludes the view of oncoming traffic.

You might be surprised to learn that the countryside isn't full of softies. Outside of the retirement villages, the folk there are usually pretty practical and sensible. They certainly won't lose sleep over a toot of a car horn in it's proper context.

Smokehead

7,703 posts

227 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
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I've read some ste on this site, never expected to see it in this particular sub-forum.

toot-toot for now.

Red Devil

13,055 posts

207 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
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JM said:
This is a place I have used and often meet others using their horn, on the NC500. Not many other places that I can think of that I would use it though.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@58.2307608,-5.29521...
+1

You never know what might be approaching on the other side. I can think of quite a number of other places on single track roads where it is a sensible precaution.

Another example - https://goo.gl/maps/ygjvCm3J8kP2

This one is particularly dodgy because the road on both sides is dead straight and people tend to tank along in both directions.
Not only that, but the approaches are much steeper than the Google camera car makes them appear. It's like the summit of a roller coaster.
At first glance it looks like two cars could pass, but not at anything more than walking pace if at all.
The configuration on the other side sees to that - https://goo.gl/maps/nTqGrXGo52p

The purpose of the horn is to warn other road users of your presence. Otherwise the state would have had no need to enact Section 37 of the C&U Regs.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/regul...




tonyb1968

1,156 posts

145 months

Wednesday 9th November 2016
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I've had 2 recent incidents where I used the horn on my car, one being a trip to my friends down south on a road that I have not used for quite some time.
On this road there is a bridge, its hump backed and blind, goes left and then right but also narrows in the middle.
Yes I used the horn when approaching, due to the stream that goes under it, the trees and brick surround on the bridge, hearing traffic coming from the other direction would have been very difficult, use of horn solved that problem and let any on coming traffic know that I am there.

Other one was a little unwanted, turning right into a car park and then having a lad on his scooter go on the outside of me (very bright of him), then tooting my horn, totally not the right thing to do but it did one of two things, let him know my displeasure at his bad driving and ensuring the police car that was parked up on the left knew I wasn't happy.
Nice to see the police car go after him though wink

xpc316e

23 posts

102 months

Thursday 10th November 2016
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Having read the posts about horn use on country roads, I find myself agreeing with those who would sound it as a warning at locations where vision is very poor. Such use might cause a horse to spook, but the likelihood of meeting a horse (especially an unschooled one) is substantially lower than meeting another vehicle, so I'll go with the balance of probabilities.

As for the countryside being quiet - it seems as though the poster claiming it ought to be is one of those people who move to a village and then moan about the church bells on a Sunday morning, or the pub kicking out at night.

akirk

5,376 posts

113 months

Friday 11th November 2016
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As someone who does live in the countryside, unlike mr anti-horn smile and who has ridden all his life, and who recognises the hazards of being on a half tonne live animal on busy country roads, I would much rather a car approaching briefly sounded their horn to let me know... Any rider around here would prefer that to a car suddenly appearing (more likely to spook a horse). Any horse which spooks at a horn shouldn't be on the local roads they are not safe, how will they cope when tractors, gravel lorries and all the other heavy kit goes past...

As for locals and the countryside being quiet, what total nonsense, the countryside is a very noisy place, from jets screaming overhead to combines running into the small hours of the morning there is always something going on and it is usually noisy, gentle ramblers wandering past a yokel who is leaning on he gate straw in mouth is not exactly an accurate representation of the countryside- and if it is quiet, then there is no one around to hear the horn anyway, so it doesn't matter!

bad company

18,484 posts

265 months

Friday 11th November 2016
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I live on a bend in the centre of a village. I have to say that I get fed up with drivers sounding their horn on approaching the bend. It's unnecessary and very annoying.