When I was young I use my horn when drivers cut me off. Now I'm more cautious & use it only to prevent accidents. I know some cities fine you for using horns for non-emergencies. I have also had a water bottle thrown at my truck when a crazy driver cut me off causing me to brake & evade fender contact. I see a lot more road rage these days.

My question is, do you use your horn anymore? I noticed when you use your horn in avoiding some accidents, it seems to cause an opposite effect. When other drivers hear your horn, they seem to slow down or stop in the middle of the road if you driving head on towards them.

Also, do you fear some road rage crazy would follow you or escalate further?

What are your thoughts?

Do you have an interesting road rage story to share?

Thanks.

I use my horn all the time. And I have been followed by crazies a couple times, but braking to a stop right in front of them and unfolding all 6'4" of me out of the truck holding a 4cell maglight tends to convince them to drive on.

i use it as needed. primarily when someone fails to yield, swerves into my lane or otherwise. i don't G-A-S whether they might be crazy or not. they aren't any more bullet-proof than i am.

edit: for interesting story, back nearly 25 years ago, i laid on the horn at a driver who failed to yield where i had to lock up the wheels. so he stops right in front, gets out, and comes over to my d-s window and starts yelling about how he's going to do this and that and starts to reach into my truck - which stopped all of a sudden when i put two barrels of 16-gauge in his face.

I usually only use mine when someone isn't paying attention at stop lights. I'll give them a little honk with the stock horn. However, if someone is about to hit me or cuts me off, I bring out the big horn...

Where is this? Never heard of such....

I rarely use mine anymore. Getting older, don't drive as aggressively, don't feel it does any good to try and let people know they screwed up (a major reversal of policy from my youth ). Mostly only use it for the very rare accident avoidance.

David

In L.A. using ur horn on the wrong person can get u killed. No joke. Sometimes u gotta use it, like when some moron is texting at the light and not paying attention. So many sh!tty drivers here. But as KidV said, it helps being a big mofo (6'2" 290)!!!

Yea, same as others, I use it to get people to stop which happens often since apparently most people are too dumb to know how a traffic circle works in the local town.

I also sometimes flash them with my bajillion candlepower

as far as there are stupid drivers, there will be a need for them. I rarely use mine, but when I do, it's for small reasons (e.g.: someone in front of me who doesn't move when the light turns green...... I'll give em a "beep beep"). But if they cut me off, they get a full blast followed by my middle finger.

i drive pretty unaggressively. i stop at EVERY stop sign, i yield when getting on the highway (or wherever else i'm required to). i go the speed limit, except on the interstate, where i drive 60 instead of 65. i have zero interest in being run into by some nitwit POS texting, cell-yakking, jerking off, whatever. i don't even own a cell phone.

yet even so, i constantly seem to have inattentive drivers swerving into my lane, crossing the yellow lines, running stop signs in front of me, etc. so, i use my horn and legally carry.

plus, with two soon-to-be driving age boys (15 and 14), i try to set a decent example for them while i drive, ie, stop at every stop sign, yield, speed limit, etc.

You have to do something really stupid to get me to use my horn.

Otherwise, you may get a few taps if you are sitting at a green light and not paying attention. I try to count to 3 before I tap though....

I'd like to honk at people that I see texting while driving... But it would most likely cause a wreck...

use it all the time. as far as crazies go, the 4th gens had an optional cargo net, it holds a baseball bat perfectly

In midtown Manhattan, horns are used pretty constantly by outsiders. No patience when you need to have tons. That will usually lead to someone pounding on your hood. But they never get out. Cabbies rarely ever use them. They'd just rather hit you or curse you in some unknown language.

On the Tappen Zee bridge from NY to CT about 3 weeks ago. Approx 7:15am. Two Dodge Ram pickups directly behind and beside me. Two large guys honking and swearing. They both stop, get out, block ALL traffic, and start pounding on each other. Each had to be over 300 lbs. Right on the bridge in the way of thousands of cars during rush hour. Can't comprehend how they already have that much hate built up that early in the day. As I continued about a mile further I see three not-amused state trooper cars speeding the other way likely to break it up.

I rarely honk as I like to avoid confrontation, but if it comes to it, my maglight and all 6'7" 270lbs is likely to scare people off.

In VA anyways... Read the entire code where it goes on to say when it's unlawful to use a horn.

LIS > Code of Virginia > 46.2-1060


Funny stories: In my town, the downtown area is fairly poor and 80% of the residents have a suspended license. Driving is a big deal so people like to honk at their friends like they're big shots when they manage to get behind the wheel of someone's car. All cops have pet peeves and one of my co-workers loves to stop and cite people for doing it. It's crazy how mad people get but it's usually because the horn ticket gets them a suspended OL ticket which is usually jail time.