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Some people rely on horns and loud pipes. IMO the horn is and isn’t something that should be used.
I’m very much of the school “you’re invisible, and noise will not make people see you”. This view over the last 18 months has been compounded by people cutting me up and the horn has never helped in improving their awareness during or after the fact.
So, yes, covering the horn to give it a “bip-beep” to allow another road user to my presence before the fact. But, no, wasted energy beeping when they are already nearly statistic’ing me.
So far for me I think it does hold true, if you have time to hit the horn you have time to take the evasive manoeuvre. I’d sooner not hit the horn and use that fraction of mental capacity for picking my escape route.
I think I used the horn more on green lanes than ever on the road. The bi-beep from 50-100 yards is essential to give people enough notice, but not upset anyone.
pdlouche-
Yes if you’re about to get tacco’ed use your time to manoeuvre but it’s real worth is as an early deterrent and not beep beep but really stand on the fecker and tbh if you can brake you should be able to use the horn as well (unless you’re on a scooter), if anything it may reduce the closing speeds at the point of collision :)
I’m from the roadcraft school of using the audible warning as much as necessary and if in doubt use it.
Loud pipes though are just a fucking nuisance.
underuser53929
That is the sort of scenario where one should also be covering the horn as well. As soon as there’s any drift from the car long protracted use of the audible warning, obviously whilst braking hard and shitting ones self. People seem a bit reluctant to use the horn on bikes but they’re good for focusing driver’s minds