Everyone seems to love blowing the horn at the drop of a hat, no matter where the location is. In fact, mindless honking is somewhat deeply ingrained in our psyche. Many drivers don’t seem to be at peace until they honk recklessly whether the road is congested or deserted; or blow the horn to call somebody from the top floor of a building; or talk on the phone in a high-decibel tone. Then there are those who want to tom-tom their love for music by cranking up the car stereo to deafening levels. Victims of such auditory assaults have to grin and bear it. After all, we reason, it takes all sorts to make the world. In housing societies, one can see “no horn” boards. Even then, some residents are unable to exorcise their honking craze. Old habits die hard.
Our morbid proclivity to raise the decibel levels is at its severest during Deepavali.
But truth be told, we neither need a festival nor any special occasion to make life miserable for others, let they be children, patients, pets or senior citizens.
Pressure principle
However, the mother of all cacophonous horns that gives us sleepless nights is the pressure horn. The villain of the piece is the accessory shop selling all manner of horns. Their use invites heavy penalties. But people continue to brazen it out and blow them by force of habit.
A reason for using loud horns is because patience is in short supply. With cars clogging the roads, motorists easily lose their temper and use the horn to blow off steam. There are instances of motorists blowing horns just to cope with their mood swings. So much for driving etiquette! Then there are those who blow horns while zipping past no-honking zones such as hospitals and educational institutions. Have we completely lost it? Youngsters are no better in honking for no reason. How about teaching schoolchildren traffic rules and the ill-effects of horns?
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