DRIVING PRACTICE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 74, 24 February 1938, Page 9

DRIVING PRACTICE.

TJSE OF-THE HORN. RESTRICTION'QUESTION. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Feb. 23. The Road Safety Council last week adopted two resolutions regarding the nuisance of hooting, bleating, and blasting motor horns. One was a recommendation that by-laws which require horns to be blown, hooted, blented and blasted at every intersection should be disallowed, and the other was to tjie effect that motorists should be educated and reasoned with about undue use of motor horns. The subcommittee which reported to the full council wished to go much further than this and recommended that, in addition to the disallowing of the by-laws making obligatory tlie giving of a warning at every intersection, definite rules should be made to limit hornblowing to emergency conditions. Tlie committee remarked that complaints about hornblowing were made as a rule by householders, workers, and pedestrians who considered the noise distressing and disturbing. If there were no other aspects of the matter it might be questioned whether it was one for the Road Safety Council which was not concerned primarily with the comfort and convenience of householders and business people, but with safety on the highway, but there were other aspects, and much could be said in support of the proposition that a drastic lessening of tlie use of the horn would promote, rather than impair, road safety. “It is submitted that much use is made of the horn by motorists in New Zealand beyond the fullest demands of road safety. If the use of the horn is not required for the purpose of safety then it will be readily conceded that there is no other virtue in the horn and that ‘it can only operate as a nuisance to all on the highways and byways and within hearing thereof.” _ Overseas countries would not have it, the committee stated. Great Britain had forbidden the blowing of horns between 11.30 p.m. and 7 a. lll. in builtup areas, with exceptions for ambulances, police care, and the like, though it could be assumed that the Road Safety Council in England had not disregarded road safety when making (that recommendation. In Rome it was an offence to hoot a motor horn except in emergency. New York permitted it only as a danger signal after or while brakes were applied. ’ Columbia, and Washington, the capital city, would not have hornblowing at all. In Tasmania there was an absolute prohibition of horn-blow-ing in any town between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m., and it could resorted to only in a emergency between 8 a.m and 8 p.m. Tasmania considered that these regulations had resulted in safer driving. In Germany the nse of the liorn was apparently not forbidden, but the use of over-loud, raucous, or strident horns had been dealt with. , “The evil of this all too prevalent practice of unnecessary horn-blowing goes beyond the creation of nerve-de-ranging noise. It “(a) Robs the true emergency signal of much of its effect. ~ “(b) Encourages speedy, and reckless approach to bends, corners and intersections. “(c) Tends to embarrassment and confusion of other users of roads and streets.”