Less Honking, Please

We are all aware that Noise Pollution is a big social headache, yet in a country like India it seems unavoidable. From the market streets where the vendors are shouting in the top pitch to gain attention, the pompous wedding procession with band set, marriage ceremonies with shrieking music, temple festivals playing devotional songs in high decibels,  noise pollution is uncontrollable. Adding to this is the sound of traffic and especially the insensible sound of honking.

I am an advocator of less honking, as I have seen it as a good practice in Western countries. Honking is too much undue noise and makes the street, a stressful environment to commute.  So, I generally, do not honk. However, recently there were two incidents, when I faulted on this good practice, which created undesirable consequences.

The first one was when I was driving from Courtallam to Madurai, and as I was driving through a small town called Srivilliputhur, a man was slowly crossing the road. I honked to give a signal for him, hoping that he would notice my car coming and fasten up his pace. But to my shock, he just stopped in the middle of the road and stared at me. Though, at first reaction I got a bit angry, I realized that he had the right to show his protest, like that. When I am driving within town limits, I have to be more concerned about pedestrians and cyclists. So, I stopped and waited for him to cross. We cannot expect a pedestrian crossing in a small town like, Srivilliputhur and so we cannot just get away saying, that the person must have used that. So, the general rule, we can aptly follow is to give priority to the pedestrians and cyclists, as they cannot put up with our speed and it is senseless to honk on them.

On another occasion, I was driving within the Madurai city and there was a traffic signal. The signal just changed from Green to Amber and at the speed, I was driving I could have easily passed through the signal, but unfortunately a cyclist was in front of me. She stopped the cycle the moment, she saw Amber, which is the right thing to do. But, as I was in a bit of a hurry, I honked, which put a little pressure in her to move forward. At this odd juncture,  the signal turned  Red and vehicles from the other direction, started moving in. She was in a sort of a mess, finding it difficult to cover the distance, with so many  of those vehicle drivers, honking as a sign of disapproval. I felt so bad about my act. It was because of my honking, did she move. So, without intention I had put a pressure on her, which put her in an embarrassing situation.

What I have shared is not uncommon. It happens day in and day out. People start honking at traffic signals, even before the green light would come, People are so impatient to wait. While it may sound, like an everyday affair, we need to remember that it is not right to be insensitive on the roads.

If we want, India to be in par with Western countries, our attitude should change. We need to be more concerned about fellow traveller on the road. Honking is similar to shouting at someone. It builds up a lot of passive stress, which does not feel nice at all. One of the reason, people go home exhausted is not because they are tired, but because they feel so stressed by so much of honking they get to hear on the streets.

So, let us commit to honk less or rather follow the policy, “Honk, only if you must” and make our cities, less noisy and more peaceful for fellow commuters.

D. Senthil Kannan,

Managing Trustee, PALMS, Tuticorin.

Author of "Transformational Thoughts" - A Journey of learning 

Email: senthilkannand@gmail.com