The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1926-06-03
HORN ABUSED BY
SOME MOTORISTS
Sound of Warning Is of
Value When Approach
ing a Crossroad.


Never before In the history Of the
automobile has there been so much
abuse of the automobile horn Horns
are better sounding and more re-
liable than they ever were, yet this
appears to be Of no advantage in re-
gard to their use.
PROFESSIONALLY motorists are be-
coming bit vain over the noise their
horns make, because experience
shows that the horn button is always
overworked where cars are thickest
and where horning is least neces-
sary. That is because each driver is
trying to Guido vthe other Some one
horns and the first thing you know
they are all doing It. Conversely, be-
cause the audience along the highway
Is so scant by comparison the horn
is silenced. No one on the road would
jump a foot when it is sounded.
This business of burning the head
lights in daytime during long tour
as a means of wasting some of the
electric current so as not to overhead
the battery would be unnecessary.
The horn motor offers a means of
wasting current, and, at the same
time, of using it to good advantage.
Headlights in the daytime are useless
because their rays cannot be seen I'M
til one is looking straight into the re-
Electors. A warning then is unneces-
sary.
Horning at all the curves, cross
roads, school houses, upon passing
other cars and before reaching the
crest of steep hill where another
car may be approaching on the wrong
side of the road. furnishes an excel
lent way of not only forestalling dam
age to the battery but to the whole
car as well-not forgetting the oc-
cupants.
Word of Caution
In horning generously, however.
word of caution is appropriate. The
careful driver never keeps his horn
blowing constantly while rounding
curve or approaching a crossroad. To
do so would be deafening himself to
the sound of another horn which may
be blown as warning to him. In
such cases the effect is the same as
though neither driver sounded a warn
| ing; and the results are much more
serious, because when driver has
given a warning he assumes that he
has paved his way to safety and inn
mediately puts on more steam.
When the cars suddenly appear face
to face the drivers are caught off
their guard. Their excessive surprise
may occasion them to act less SEN
sibly than If caught in the usual pre-.
dicament as result of not horning
at all. The solution is to horn inter-
mittently.
This matter of intermittent horn
ing Is of particular value when APP
preaching a blind alley or cross
road in the wake of another car. Many
drivers have habit of assuming that
If the driver of the car ahead horns
at a crossing that is sufficient warn
ing for both. But experience proves
that it is not The motorist coming out
of the side road hears one horn and
naturally assumes there is but one
car coming He proceeds to cross the
main road and precipitates COLI
sion.
Coming From Side Road.
The man coming on from side
road seldom horns because he feels
that he should give the right of way
(not according to law, but for safety's
sake) to the faster traffic of the high
way. If two or more highway cars,
therefore, begin relying upon the horn
ing of the machine in the lead there
is bound to be trouble sooner or later.
In the city horning is becoming a
nuisance. A motorist who recently
put up over night at a downtown
hotel suffered insomnia because of the
incessant horning of cars at the cor
ner.
A motorist may think the pedestrian
plays no important part in his motor
ing, but just the same the length
of time he must wait at crossing
depends largely upon how long it
takes for the pedestrian to cross. A
blast of the horn may get the pedes-
trian traffic dizzy" and so prolong
the agony. There is time to horn
and a time to remain silent; and it
only requires a little headwork to
| differentiate between them.