Horn Honking

thejag

i remember a story on discovery a long time back that tried to find a solution to this porblem. their focus was on ambulances and how despite the siren it would still take time for them to cut through traffic. What they came up with was that the siren (and a horn in the same vein) was of only a particular frequency and therefore the human ear can not easily determine the direction which the noise comes from. White noise (what you hear on your radio - try the short wave band, fm is quiter) comprises sounds of way more frequencies and allows the human ear to determine the direction where the sound originates.

So on an experimantal basis they equipped an ambulance with a siren that plays white noise between the regular ambulance siren and the response was way better than before. i have never heard of this having been done commercially, have wanted to try it but never OWNED a car... my family will not appreciate noise every time they honk the horn in our car.

EDIT: PS: thats why there is so much of it. if it wasnt ignored there wouldnt be as much of it....

Mike Cork

White noise.......

Can you explain what this is, will do to make any difference.

I use sirens, two tones etc every day of my life. They make no difference if people ignore them or have different hearing frequencies etc.

We in the know work off our instincts. i.e. do not trust anybody.

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thejag

check this link and this is what it says under applications among other things

Edit: this is the first reference i am seeing of it actually being used

Nick-H

UK emergency vehicles use something like that.

Prashant.M

I hope not, but considering the ring tones I have heard, I despair. Wonder what the animals will make of it? Maybe instead of peeing they will try to hump the car .

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Mike Cork

I drive and travel in emergency vehicles all day in the UK. White noise is not all it’s made out to be. Sometimes people don’t know an emergency vehicle is about until its right behind you using alternative noise.

In India how anyone can hear anything above the noise of the general motorist’s horns is beyond me. In particular those who decide to fit even louder horns because their normal ones are not loud enough.

AusE

I vote Ludhiana, Punjab for having the HUGEST amount of horn action I've heard so far - the good carriers with their crazy blaring horns tootling up and down the roads were unreal. I guess the fact that it's an industrial town with massive amounts of shipments in and out doesn't help their noise pollution problem. But if I ever bought a car here (NOT very likely I must admit!), I now know where to go to get a kick-ass horn

I've often wonder if the car manufacturers install a heavy-duty horn in the cars over here, surely a standard horn couldn't keep up with the demands of Indian use?

thejag

nope. regulations do not permit them...


there is a huge after market for accessories such as horns though a driver can get fined for using a horn which does not meet regulations. like all other regulations this is enforced when it is convenient for the cops i.e when their hands start itching.

Nick-H

People. Imagine... You're overtaking a guy who obviously never uses the wing mirror, because he keeps it folded in (pratt). He probably doesn't use the rear-view mirror either, and he's driving so close to the edge of his lane, he's practically in your lane.

There's only one thing to do. BeeeeBebebebeeeeep!

Equally, I am actually glad when people beep while overtaking. Even though I have a strange habit of using my mirrors, that extra warning comes in handy. Motor bikes are easily missed.

capt_mahajan

You need more practice, then.

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thejag

does anyone know of a noise cancellation system that can be adapted for use on a car on the outside? would be nice to see the expression on the face of a driver who realizes that his super loud horn is making no sound whatsoever.

Nick-H

I try... I try...

Nick-H

I thought that was the standard reaction!

One of the things that I try to remind myself, to stop getting mad at other people on the road, is that they usually don't take any notice whatsoever anyway !

thejag

I dont get mad i just get even. Ive actually intentionally hit a couple of motorcyclists that pissed me off. when moving at less then pedestrian speed of course.

My cousin in delhi has the best antidote for dissipating the rage that builds up when driving. He has for years wanted to buy a really cheap older car (one of those fiat 1100s or anything else with a sturdy build) and to drive around intentionally hitting every other vehicle in sight. but of course he hasnt gotten around to doing it. Maybe in a few months ill try it.

Nick-H

Simple.

All your cousin needs to do is get a job as








... a bus driver!