By T.K. Malhotra (President)
Roads in India, particularly in metros, look like having many ducks, judging from the excessive and often unnecessary blasts of horn heard on our roads. While our ears are more or less attuned to this kind of noise menace drivers in many other countries are sentenced to jail for punching a fellow car driver. They are not both legally or socially permitted to have a honk-honk much along road. Unfortunately such senseless and rather violent action is not restricted to the less educated but well educated and people with established status are also no less to take to the fancy to this rowdy music.
When I was in Cape Town in connection with the International General Assembly in South Africa, I came across an incident in which a driver was incensed when a fellow educated professional provoked him by honking at him. Hot words were exchanged. The pilot of the car went into auto schedule, I would no longer offer to witness the incident. But most probably the honker seemed to have sustained a permanent eye injury. The "honkee" may have made to jail-who knows-as their road rules are quite stringent. In the case of the pilot, one can't help but empathise with his bewildered family whose world may have suddenly been turned upside dawn-all because of a car horn!
It is too much and never an excuse to punch someone, but also there is no reason for someone to be so impatient as to practically stand on his horns.
If the honkers in such cases exercise a little patience or given their horns friendly loot followed with a smile or wave, I think the resulting unpleasant incidents can be avoided. A horn whether of a car, lorry, bus or a truck is really meant for emergency use. Why then often it is used as a sharp tongue or for hostile intentions. We know how easy it is to blow the horn prematurely, unnecessarily or worse in anger. It is indeed on act of mounting aggression which is harmful to both honker and honked besides causing abuse to the environment.
I really doubt whether anyone on reflection would with to 'ask' for a punch or be the indirect cause o another being convicted.
We have to recognise the fact that it's rather simple to sometimes ship into an uncivilised manner once behind the wheel, treating other motorists as combating enemies rather than fellow road users. It is easy to be provoked by other drivers too.
LET'S NOT FORGET
HORNS CAUSE STRESS AND
TENSION TO CO-ROAD USERS
AND ARE HARMFUL TO HEALTH
 Horns increase blood pressure and have bad effect on the heart.
Horns damage hearing power and cause digestion problems.
Horns cause serious disturbance to the sleeping children, patients and old persons.
Horns cause irritation, tension and sleeplessness.
Then why not hold on to our temper, strive for patience and keep our hands off the honker!
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