Stop Light Etiquette

[moestavern19]

What is the norm for you, when you are behind the car in pole position at the stop light and they driver doesn't seem to have noticed that the light has turned green.


Also, if you are in the 3-hole slot, and the guy sitting behind the non-mover is wussing out, do you step up to the plate?

[REEKO_HTOWN]

If you mean that the car in front of you doesn't move when the light turns green?

I don't honk unless it at a turn signal.

[Gummi Clutch]

I give them however many seconds it takes to get my fingers out of my nose. :p

[moestavern19]

I usually come across this at turn signals, where time is more of the essence than at a regular stop light.

I'm a 3-5 second kind of guy myself. Sometimes I hesitate and then right when I'm about to softly tap my horn I see the brake lights go off.

[Pete Chilcutt]

Ill give them 3-5 seconds. Dont wanna be an A-hole...

[Convictedstupid]

3-5 seconds if at all.

I never use the horn :\. Just pray to god that they realize its green.

[Ricksmith]

i voted for the 1-2 second option, but i have a slightly different approach. see, my horn doesnt work right now. so if some dumbass is infront of me looking around not realizing the green light ahead of us, i simply roll the window down and yell "HEY!" as loud as possible. sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt. but if my approach fails, the person behind me should be honking their horn by then. problem solved. :cool:

[RocketRaccoon]

Ill give them 3-5 seconds. Dont wanna be an A-hole...
Me too.

But if I can see they're on their phone, I'm laying on the horn until I see the brake lights go out.

[Pete Chilcutt]

Me too.

But if I can see they're on their phone, I'm laying on the horn until I see the brake lights go out.

Amen.

I hate people that txt and drive...or just blab on the phone not paying attention.

That really bugs me too

[XxShadyPinkxX]

3-5 secs then a honk. If I'm in the 3rd spot, and the person in front of me hasn't honked, I wait another sec and then honk.

[Ziggy]

The key is to lightly tap the horn. Like a little tiny tap so it barely squeaks. So they guy knows ah I need to go, thanks for letting me know, rather than holy crap the guy behind is mad - I feel kind of weird now, I better speed off 55mph and hide my face.

[francis 4 prez]

i combine my extreme impatience with my desire to not have a confrontation and end up in 3-5 second land. closer to 3 seconds. which is sort of stupid because if they weren't paying attention they won't know if i waited 1 second or 5 seconds anyway. if i can see they're clearly not looking (looking on the floor for something, on the phone, etc) and not just spaced out then i might honk a little earlier.

i think i've honked from the 3-hole before but i usually just wuss out and wait.

[crossover]

In the US, people are real sticklers about using their horn - it's perceived too easily as a rude gesture. Sometimes, out of your courtesy, you just want to alert someone that there is something going on that isn't a big emergency. Tapping the horn isn't used so much in the US because people are afraid of being seemingly rude but I think it should be more utilized for things like bicyclists, the greenlight situation, alerting someone they're out of their lane slightly etc...

Highbeams can be used the same way (if they aren't aimed in a blinding way at oncoming traffic) - good to signal passes, "cop behind me" etc. - but are often seen as rude/used wrongly to some people.

The problem is of course when people abuse their horn with a lack of effectual understanding like honking loudly for smaller alerts above or blaring horns in traffic that obvious isn't going to move faster with more noise. It's not just unhelpful and rude but actually defeats the purpose of the horn and desensitizes drivers to the sound (which can lead to more dangerous situations).

Maybe they should invent a second "quiet/calm horn" for smaller alerts like above.

[The_Yoyo]

3-5 seconds i tap the horn a little

if i can see they are on the phone or talking to someone in the car i lay it on loud



the time when i just do not let off the horn is when people at stop signs in adjacent lanes start talking to each other and hold up both lanes of traffic even if its just 2 seconds

[LonghornFan]

Me too.

But if I can see they're on their phone, I'm laying on the horn until I see the brake lights go out.

Thank you! That seriously irritates the crap out of me. I drive a lowered sports car and I can't tell you how many times I've almost been run off the road due to these idiots not paying attention. The ones who drive 20mph in a 40 zone also make me punch my horn, daily. Cell phone use in the car should be banned forever.

[SwoLy-D]

Also, if you are in the 3-hole slot, and the guy sitting behind the non-mover is wussing out, do you step up to the plate?:D That's what she S---

Oh, "slot"... ok... slot. :o

No, I let the front person wait one second, then 2 seconds for the person on the second spot, then I honk.

[moestavern19]

The key is to lightly tap the horn. Like a little tiny tap so it barely squeaks. So they guy knows ah I need to go, thanks for letting me know, rather than holy crap the guy behind is mad - I feel kind of weird now, I better speed off 55mph and hide my face.


Yes, I do 3-5 and then the light tap.

The light tap is very non-threatening. It is a friendly little reminded that hopefully nobody would take offense to and jump out of their cars wielding a sawed-off shotgun.

I save the blaring of the horn for idiocy, like when an asshole suddenly decides its a good idea to cut 3 lanes of traffic off because they weren't paying attention and missed their exit.

[RedRedemption]

I give him a light slow bump from behind. And my light I mean tear that s$&! up. And by slow I mean accelerating to crazy speeds. I rarely don't condone rear-ending (or getting rear-ended) but this is a rare exception.

There you go Swoly-D. See how perverted you can make the above statement. :D

[LonghornFan]

like when an asshole suddenly decides its a good idea to cut 3 lanes of traffic off because they weren't paying attention and missed their exit.

Sorry 'bout that. I was starting to grow a tail and had to drop a deuce in the worst way. I'm carrying around a empty box now, won't happen again.

[SwoLy-D]

There's a one-time TWSS limit in a page in a thread, Mr. 94, sir. :o Had you been on page 2, we'd be laughing away at my immature response.

[moestavern19]

Sorry 'bout that. I was starting to grow a tail and had to drop a deuce in the worst way. I'm carrying around a empty box now, won't happen again.

Could have prairie-dogged, sir. :o

[JeopardE]

Typically I'm a 3-5 second guy, and then I lightly tap the horn. There is never a need to do a full horn blast unless the guy is asleep and has been sitting there for like 15 seconds. Lightly tapping the horn at least maintains a sense of courtesy while alerting the other driver.

But like someone else said, this is an American phenomenon. Elsewhere, car horns are used as frequently as brake pedals. It actually feels weird when you're NOT hearing horns sounding regularly from the street.

[RedRedemption]

There's a one-time TWSS limit in a page in a thread, Mr. 94, sir. :o Had you been on page 2, we'd be laughing away at my immature response.

I give him a light slow bump from behind. And my light I mean tear that s$&! up. And by slow I mean accelerating to crazy speeds. I rarely don't condone rear-ending (or getting rear-ended) but this is a rare exception.

There you go Swoly-D. See how perverted you can make the above statement. :D

[SwoLy-D]

I give him a light slow bump from behind. And my light I mean tear that s$&! up. And by slow I mean accelerating to crazy speeds. I rarely don't condone rear-ending (or getting rear-ended) but this is a rare exception.That's what HE said. :(

[moestavern19]

I give him a light slow bump from behind. And my light I mean tear that s$&! up. And by slow I mean accelerating to crazy speeds. I rarely don't condone rear-ending (or getting rear-ended) but this is a rare exception.

There you go Swoly-D. See how perverted you can make the above statement. :D

Thats WHAT SHE said!!!
:o :p :) :) :) :eek:

[Yonkers]

I normally lay on the horn right away. After 5 seconds the gat comes out.

[finalsbound]

Thats WHAT SHE said!!!
:o :p :) :) :) :eek:

Wow, you have apparently reached a new level of boredom.

[Ziggy]

I save the blaring of the horn for idiocy, like when an asshole suddenly decides its a good idea to cut 3 lanes of traffic off because they weren't paying attention and missed their exit.
I once was in some stand still traffic at a 4-way stop sign. Someone on one end ran right behind the previous person and I nearly hit her since it was my turn. I slam my horn, really rip into it... the horn breaks! Its continuously blaring non-stop in stand still traffic. Beautiful moment.

[Miguel]

Horn? I just ram into them with my car. GET GOING BUDDY!

[LonghornFan]

Horn? I just ram into them with my car. GET GOING BUDDY!

If I did that I would probably drive under them. It wouldn't be very beneficial to me.

[Yonkers]

If I did that I would probably drive under them. It wouldn't be very beneficial to me.

Clever I-drive-a-nice-sports-car post

[Butterfingers]

regarding high beams.

i use my high beams at night when im cruising at 90mph to tell the asshat in the left lane to get his ass on the right.

[Lil Pun]

I pull out my pistol and start shooting.

[Chamillionaire]

i guess it all depends on the situation, how long you got until you have to be at your destination.

[Crudder]

I tend to move my hand up to the horn slowly which takes about 3-5 seconds at which point I'll honk the person in front of me... I do the same if I'm a car behind the person in front...

[TracyMacAddidas]

Depends.

On where i'm going and what time the destination starts.

Oh and if you have a Audi R8 and your taking 3-5 seconds *HONKKK*

[ClutchCityReturns]

There's no option for 2.5 seconds so I didn't vote.

[Poloshirtbandit]

3 to 5 seconds for me. 2 seconds if it's a left turn signal. I also get really annoyed at people that won't right turn on red, but I don't blow at them.

[RedRedemption]

NSFW Language
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Yep. :D

[Serg300]

In the mornings to work or on the way home from work, 2 seconds max then tap the horn. We are all trying to get places no need for one person to hold everyone up cause they aren’t paying attention, especially if they are in front of the line.

BTW waiting 3-5 sec at a green light is a long time.

[ima_drummer2k]

Where is the "get extremely pissed off, but don't honk horn because horn sounds like a moped and doesn't adequately convey my anger" option?

[RocketRaccoon]

NSFW Language
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Yep. :D
Wow, that was some funny shlt!

[Pete Chilcutt]

NSFW Language
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Yep. :D

I laughed out loud haha

[BetterThanI]

NSFW Language
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Yep. :D
Definitely funny...until I realized that he had one hand "shooting" his iPhone and other hand filming himself. Keep at least one on the wheel, buddy. I'm sure the people behind him were raging as well, since he wasn't bothering to drive his own car.

[Steve_Francis_rules]

I will typically wait 3-5 seconds myself. However, I think the standard here in the Boston area is to honk if the guy hasn't started moving before the light changes.

[rubytuesday]

The key is to lightly tap the horn. Like a little tiny tap so it barely squeaks. So they guy knows ah I need to go, thanks for letting me know, rather than holy crap the guy behind is mad - I feel kind of weird now, I better speed off 55mph and hide my face.


yeah, i do the light tap just to get a quick honk in to not totally embarrass them. i am impatient tho so i do honk at the 2 second mark. and i will honk if i'm third in line too if the 2nd guy didn't honk.

[Surfguy]

I don't know anybody who blares their horn hard for someone sitting at at a light turned green. If you do that, then maybe you should get some counseling or something. A light tap after 5 seconds...as mentioned...is all that is needed. If the person in the car in front of you gets upset about a light tap for them not going on a green light, then they need the counseling.

If someone sat on their horn and I was the one who wasn't paying attention on a red light turned green not moving, then I would say with 100% certainty that the car behind me would get the bird. I wouldn't even look who it is. They would get the bird...followed by a screech of the tires...cause that is no reason to blare a horn in full force...unless I'm not moving after a light courtesy tap of the horn.

However, if you block the exit of a drive thru...then all bets are off.

[moestavern19]

I don't know anybody who blares their horn hard for someone sitting at at a light turned green. If you do that, then maybe you should get some counseling or something. A light tap after 5 seconds...as mentioned...is all that is needed. If the person in the car in front of you gets upset about a light tap for them not going on a green light, then they need the counseling.
.


Clearly you have never been in Los Angeles.

[RocketRaccoon]

I don't know anybody who blares their horn hard for someone sitting at at a light turned green. If you do that, then maybe you should get some counseling or something. A light tap after 5 seconds...as mentioned...is all that is needed. If the person in the car in front of you gets upset about a light tap for them not going on a green light, then they need the counseling.

If someone sat on their horn and I was the one who wasn't paying attention on a red light turned green not moving, then I would say with 100% certainty that the car behind me would get the bird. I wouldn't even look who it is. They would get the bird...followed by a screech of the tires...cause that is no reason to blare a horn in full force...unless I'm not moving after a light courtesy tap of the horn.

However, if you block the exit of a drive thru...then all bets are off.


LOL...I was going to say, okay, your threshold is higher than mine, but then I read what I bolded. I guess we all have that line in the sand. ;)

[krnxsnoopy]

I'll wait a "reasonable" amount of time, but at some point YOU GOTTA GO.

Yeah 3-5 seconds sounds about right.

[pugsly8422]

Has anyone ever been at the light at 610 and Richmond going into the Galleria area? There used to be 2 left lanes that turn, now it's just 1, which is fine with me since I always go straight. It pisses me off because nearly every time I pass there I see someone turning from that other lane. Yesterday when the turn light was red but the light to go straight was green, there was someone sitting in that lane (second to the left) waiting for the turn light to turn green, even though there is a sign before you go under 610 and a sign next to the light. When I passed him I honked, and it wasn't just a light tap <----I'm going to regret saying that aren't I?

Pugs

[leroy]

Where is the "get extremely pissed off, but don't honk horn because horn sounds like a moped and doesn't adequately convey my anger" option?

Just reiterating the whole "I drive a girly car" thing, aren't you?

I'm relatively impatient with this. 3 seconds is about the limit I'll give. There is one thing that pisses me off more than anything...

It's when you're coming to an intersection with a light that has 2 or more lanes, but the lane to turn right is also one that can go straight as well. It all ways seems to happen to me that there will be someone in front of me intending to go straight, I'll be turning right (having turned my signal on well in advance), no one is in the left lanes, and the A**HOLE stays in the right lane coming to the red light. GET THE F**K OVER YOU F***ING JACKA***.

[deadlybulb]

In the US, people are real sticklers about using their horn - it's perceived too easily as a rude gesture. Sometimes, out of your courtesy, you just want to alert someone that there is something going on that isn't a big emergency. Tapping the horn isn't used so much in the US because people are afraid of being seemingly rude but I think it should be more utilized for things like bicyclists, the greenlight situation, alerting someone they're out of their lane slightly etc...

Highbeams can be used the same way (if they aren't aimed in a blinding way at oncoming traffic) - good to signal passes, "cop behind me" etc. - but are often seen as rude/used wrongly to some people.

The problem is of course when people abuse their horn with a lack of effectual understanding like honking loudly for smaller alerts above or blaring horns in traffic that obvious isn't going to move faster with more noise. It's not just unhelpful and rude but actually defeats the purpose of the horn and desensitizes drivers to the sound (which can lead to more dangerous situations).

Maybe they should invent a second "quiet/calm horn" for smaller alerts like above.

Agreed on this point. I went to Tinidad rencently and the driving dynamics are COMPLETELY different. People honk constantly as a sign of courtesy. If someone lets you merge in, you give them a honk as gratitude. :D

[Rashmon]

If they're on the phone and not paying attention to the light, I tap the horn while it's still red and hope they jump into traffic.

[ima_drummer2k]

Just reiterating the whole "I drive a girly car" thing, aren't you?
Well, if the shoe fits.

Seriously, have you ever heard the horn on a CR-V? Nothing like trying to intimidate another driver with a horn that sounds like the Road Runner.

"Why don't you get off your damn phone and drive!!! [meep meep]"

Yeah, doesn't really work.

[SwoLy-D]

Yeah, in MEXICO, you get honked at just because they like it. Now, to add sound effects in shows and movies, they have cars honking their horns so that we know they're in MEXICO during that scene. :pIf they're on the phone and not paying attention to the light, I tap the horn while it's still red and hope they jump into traffic.If they're at a red light, and if it is the same light as mine or it isn't, I look at them and slightly get their attention, then if they're not looking at the light, I will fake going forward to make them think the light has turned to GREEN and they'll be tricked and will start to go, too, making them look silly. It works almost ALL the time... suckers for not paying attention. :D