To Honk or Not to Honk, that is the poll

[The Dude]

When someone makes a left turn in front of you (failure to yield), do you bother using your horn? To simplify, let’s include cars pulling out in front of you from a side street as well. I’ve had this happen countless times, and as best I can recall, I always lay on the horn as I perform my emergency maneuver. What typically follows is the other motorist suddenly looking at me in panic and stabbing the brake. I wonder if I’m actually making the situation worse by using my horn? Does honking just compound the problem by causing the driver to make a panic stop right in front of me? Should I forget the horn in hopes of the other vehicle being more likely to clear my path of travel and reduce the chances of collision?

 

[Motogiro]

You know this will be one of those posts..

Okay...If I'm in a emergency maneuver I don't feel like I have time to honk. I want to get clear of the situation then if I have time to honk I still usually just give the the left turn right turn signal :Flip:

Actually if you're being aware of your surroundings and traffic you might have already given a blip on your horn to alert other motorists because you sense someone will cross your path.

I hardly ever use my horn and that might be because I hardly ride my bike in traffic. Most of my miles are in the sticks, away from traffic...

 

[lytehouse]

Thankfully it hasn't happened too often where I'm in that kind of situation, but since my left hand is usually going for the clutch, I don't think to take the time to find the horn button. And I have fairly small hands...it's quite a reach for me to have to do both.
So like Cliff, I will give them the stink eye or some other "hand" gesture.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Actually if you're being aware of your surroundings and traffic you might have already given a blip on your horn to alert other motorists because you sense someone will cross your path.

That's something that we all can and should do as a rider.

However, most riders have not developed their muscle memory to instictivley to use their horn and swerve or brake at the same time. Or do not think it's important or necessary to do so.

I myself, will use it while I swerve and it have saved my butt more than I can count. The use of the horn prevents the vehicle to proceed any farther, leaving you with more time and space to avoid the hazard.

Everyone must also know that you cannot rely on the horn all the time, it's no match for car stereos, or sound proof vehicles. Obviously, upgrading your horn so that it is much louder than the stock will help.

 

[The Dude]

Okay...If I'm in a emergency maneuver I don't feel like I have time to honk.

I don't feel like I do either... but I always find myself laying on the horn. It's instinctual. What I'm wondering is... is this an instinct I need to change?

This evening I was riding through my small town at rush hour. I was three blocks from home. I had just topped off my tank a few blocks back and was following a long line of cars through town. Since it was almost 90 and I was close to home, I left my shield up after leaving the gas station. I had the internal visor down and prescription sunglasses underneath that. I remember feeling an irritation on my right ear from a gnat or mosquito as I was rolling through town. Next thing I know, some middle-aged lady is making a left turn right in front of me, trying to pull into another gas station. I couldn't have been going faster than 20-25 MPH, so it was a pretty easy stop. I didn't even think about it. But I found myself laying on the horn as I did it.

Normally, I do the swerve to draw attention to myself if I see a car waiting to pull in front of me. In this case, I think I was distracted by the bug on my ear. Still, my instincts kept me safe, so I don't think I was too out of it. The lady did brake right in front of me, but just for a moment, then gassed it. It got me thinking though. I've had several people pull out from my right side making a left turn, only to stop in my lane when they realized I was there. I've never seen this topic discussed before, so I'm hoping someone can give me some input.

 

[TheRuckus]

If you honk at the said motorist they are likely to blame you for riding a motorcycle in the first place. When you are on two wheels, in a cagers mind you are instantly at fault. Plus honking horns makes idiots angry and might cause them to foam at the mouth and try to run you off the road with their gas guzzling SUV. So I just avoid them, and go about my business.

 

[chimneydoc]

I honk, just possibly maybe if there is a next time maybe he/she will look twice before turning in front of someone. ( I have an air horn, it will wake them up )

Doc

 

[tcmalker]

clutch + throttle + Leo Vince = driver's attention

 

[The Dude]

I honk, just possibly maybe if there is a next time maybe he/she will look twice before turning in front of someone. ( I have an air horn, it will wake them up )

Doc

I like to think that. And I suspect the close call, regardless of horn, leaves an impression. Do you find the horn makes them stop in their tracks though? I'm concerned that applying the horn may actually exacerbation the problem when someone is pulling in front of you. I'm not really concerned about them, their thought process, or their future behavior. I just want to maximize my chances of avoiding a collision in that incident.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

I like to think that. And I suspect the close call, regardless of horn, leaves an impression. Do you find the horn makes them stop in their tracks though? I'm concerned that applying the horn may actually exacerbation the problem when someone is pulling in front of you. I'm not really concerned about them, their thought process, or their future behavior. I just want to maximize my chances of avoiding a collision in that incident.

Come on, hasn't anyone honked at you? What did you do? How did you feel? Did you stop? Did you look around after hearing it? Did it scare you?

 

[VEGASRIDER]

clutch + throttle + Leo Vince = driver's attention

Obviously that worked real well in Tcmalker's Part II video.

 

[dxh24]

I find myself in very few situations where i have to use my horn or emergency brake/swerve....i look at traffic this way... if i see a car on a side street waiting to pull out into or across my lane, I automatically assume they don't see me and cover the clutch/break and move my lane position where it will be most favorable.... has saved my arse lots of time now.

As far as the horn thing, i'd say that if they pulled out on you chances are they didn't SEE you so using the horn gives them another sense that might get them to be a little more aware.... every time i've ever been honked at i always remember those times rather than close calls i figured out on my own (mind you this was when i first started driving in the cage), and i think it made me a better driver. I agree w/Vegas, it might just save you someday by giving yourself more room.

 

[tcmalker]

Obviously that worked real well in Tcmalker's Part II video.

it would have worked, but Part II was pre Leo Vince
believe me, Leo Vince will get cager's attention more than any horns will do

 

[dxh24]

it would have worked, but Part II was pre Leo Vince
believe me, Leo Vince will get cager's attention more than any horns will do

Don't suppose you've ever heard a nautilus air horn then?

 

[novaks47]

The way people "drive" on my commute, no amount of anything will stop them. I swear, I could throw grenades through their windows and they'd just keep on moving over. :spank:

Usually, by the time they realize I was there, and they slam on the brakes or whatever, the situation ended some time ago, and I've already maneuvered appropriately and have resumed riding normally. lol That's not to say the horn hasn't come in handy. Well, on the FZ it hasn't, but on my TW200 with it's Wolo horn that I installed sure has saved me a few times. This is just one of those things were there's too many variables to account for. I say honk, it certainly couldn't hurt, unless it's some nut-job that can't stand being honked at.

 

[ohgood]

clutch + throttle + Leo Vince = driver's attention

+1 for whne they're on the phone, doing their nails, or otherwise just being an annoyance. the horn (on my) fz6 is fairly loud, and i'm all over it like white on rice.

all the time.

intersections, crosswalks, driveways, i'm a freaking canadian goose. paranoid ? yes.

 

[Erci]

Can't actually vote because I think it depends on situation.
I use the horn all the time when I have the right of way and approach intersections with cars.. just a little blip or two if I see the car creeping up and the driver not looking in my direction. I also swerve side to side when I spot a car at intersection (see Stop SMIDSY | Stop SMIDSY).
If all of the above fails and the driver still pulls out in front of me, there's a very good chance that honking some more will not alert the driver to my presence and I know I have to be ready to execute appropriate avoidance maneuver for the situation. I also try to position myself far out in the lane to give me extra space in case the driver does decide to pull out.
I would honk some more if the driver was pulling out directly into me, but if the car was far enough ahead of me that it could complete merging before I got there I would most likely skip honking the horn.. I wouldn't want the driver to fully merge in and than slam on the brakes.

I have to say that combination of pre-honking (patent pending phrase?) and moving side to side in my lane BEFORE intersections has done a fine job of letting others know I'm there.

 

[rbesr]

I hit the horn button. Maybe it helps, maybe it doesn't but it lets the offending driver know they screwed up. Just my opinion.

 

[wolfe1down]

Can't actually vote because I think it depends on situation.
I use the horn all the time when I have the right of way and approach intersections with cars.. just a little blip or two if I see the car creeping up and the driver not looking in my direction. I also swerve side to side when I spot a car at intersection (see Stop SMIDSY | Stop SMIDSY).
If all of the above fails and the driver still pulls out in front of me, there's a very good chance that honking some more will not alert the driver to my presence and I know I have to be ready to execute appropriate avoidance maneuver for the situation. I also try to position myself far out in the lane to give me extra space in case the driver does decide to pull out.
I would honk some more if the driver was pulling out directly into me, but if the car was far enough ahead of me that it could complete merging before I got there I would most likely skip honking the horn.. I wouldn't want the driver to fully merge in and than slam on the brakes.

I have to say that combination of pre-honking (patent pending phrase?) and moving side to side in my lane BEFORE intersections has done a fine job of letting others know I'm there.

+1. I do pretty much the same thing. A combination of appropriate lane positioning, high vis riding gear, and the controlled swerving all add up to a higher chance of drivers being able to see you. About the only time I use my horn is on the highway when vehicles are attempting to lane change and fail to shoulder check. Even though I spend very little time in a drivers blind spot, I still find that when overtaking a vehicle I will often start to be 'cut-off' as they attempt to occupy my space. A healthy dose of throttle, the horn, and making eye contact as I squirt away normally apprises them of the error of their ways! :spank:

 

[Vertigo]

I'm normally pretty good at seeing who the idiots are going to be, but in those occasions where a surprise lane change happens, I'll pop the horn and get some form of "I'm sorry" look from the driver. In the event of an emergency stop, my instincts are to get myself either stopped safely or out of the way first. After, I will pop the horn to alert the person of their mistake.

I think the blue in my jacket and helmet help as well. I don't rely on that to always work out, but the fact that i'm one of the few in the area dressed head to toe in gear normally catches peoples attention alone.