7 ms·

I do the same, but please think of the people behind you. If you ever fail to react to traffic in front of you going immediately, you have just wasted several m

by rconti 8y ago

I do the same, but please think of the people behind you. If you ever fail to react to traffic in front of you going immediately, you have just wasted several minutes of the lives of everyone behind you, as far back as the backup goes (for example at a traffic light). I'm EXTREMELY diligent, but some folks apparently have no concern for others.

abacadaba 8y ago
Ah so you're the asshole that's always honking at me
- leetcrew 8y ago
  when you're driving a car, job one is driving the car. how is he the asshole for reminding you that the light is green?
  - seandougall 8y ago
    Horns are safety features. They are meant for avoiding an accident, not for venting frustration. Here in California at least, using your horn because you’re feeling impatient at a green light is illegal. (Granted, so is using your phone while stopped in traffic, but that doesn’t make you in the right for honking.)
    - leetcrew 8y ago
      not a californian, so I can't speak to the laws there, but I don't see anything wrong with a quick tap on the horn to let the person know they missed the light change. in my view, this is communication, not mere venting. I would never give someone the full blast unless they were actively doing something unsafe. that said, people expect to go when the light turns green. violating people's expectations as always at least a little dangerous on the road. they should know better, but they don't.
      - 4ntonius8lock 8y ago
        I live in California now. From my experience people are quicker with the horn in bigger metro areas. There's always the one guy who has no patience - although I try to keep in mind that person might be justified in trying to get to a hospital or some other emergency. But generally there is a progression to events which follows what one would expect when walking: 1- Polite "excuse me mis/sir/mam" - tap on the honk 2- Louder "EXCuse ME mis/sir/mam" - double tap/one a little louder 3- Very loud "EXCUSE ME PLEASE?" - loud honk Inevitably, a significant percentage of the time I see this, the person that is being inconsiderate and blocking traffic/a doorway will be annoyed at the person trying to move around. I wonder if there is a study as to the percentage of the population that has this type of reaction.
    - whenchamenia 8y ago
      Horns are a general purpose signaling device. I am aware of no us laws prohibiting its general use ouside city noise ordanances and near hospitals. Honking at a distracted driver is both legal and appropriate.
      - seandougall 8y ago
        When safety is involved, yes. Laws vary by state, and of course enforcement varies even more, but the law in California is quite clear; horns are explicitly not a general purpose signaling device.
    - manfredo 8y ago
      Horn honking is like a language. I doubt very many people are leaning on their horn when the person ahead of them is taking too long to take off from a light. Usually this is communicated through short, almost staccato honks from the horn. To communicate "shit you're about to crash" people lay on the horn. I don't think the honks used to wake up people dozing off at a green like are being mistaken for safety honks.
- 4ntonius8lock 8y ago
  I never get honked at... might want to look into why you are getting honked at often.
- crankylinuxuser 8y ago
  try "pay attention to the road and press the skinny pedal when its time to go"
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
Dylan16807 8y ago
Several minutes? If you wait 3 seconds then you would have to have more than a hundred people stopped directly behind you to get that far! And that's assuming the entire pack of cars doesn't just catch back up to the one in front of you, where you had to wait anyway, dropping the actual time loss back to about zero.
- FiddlyPack 8y ago
  If it prevents two or three cars from making the light you were both in together, you’ve needlessly made those specific cars wait for an entire additional cycle...in heavy traffic, it’s bad for everyone when as many vehicles as possible don’t make it through the pipe, as it slows down the entire congested apparatus further.
- 4ntonius8lock 8y ago
  You do realize even if it is 'about zero'... any amount of time needlessly taken from other humans against their consent isn't cool right? Minutes? 3 seconds? Whatever. No one has a right to other people's time. I can't help but feel that anything else is a sense of entitlement over other peoples time. That's not to say someone should blare their horn after 3 seconds, but definitively a tap or two... and if that doesn't work, then get progressively louder.
  - Dylan16807 8y ago
    Nobody can drive perfectly with .01 second precision at all times. It's not entitlement to aim for "good driver" without being a neurotic mess about every time you slow down or don't take the first gap. And I think the logical conclusion of having absolutely no right to anyone else's time is to not take up space on the road at all. And when I say "about zero" I mean that it can in fact be exactly zero.
    - 4ntonius8lock 8y ago
      You are right. That is why there is an expectation of you paying attention. Including during a red light. That means not using your phone. I can assure you, if you are using your phone at a red light, it takes more than 0.01 seconds to notice the change in light, put the phone down, look at the street in front of you to make sure there isn't anything new since the last time you looked and go. In fact, if it took you the 0.01 seconds you say, it would literally be impossible for someone to honk you in time before you take off. The amount of time quoted is mind mindbogglingly small. I don't get honked at. When I'm at a red light, I'm paying attention. If I need to use my phone, I pull over. Therefore, when a light changes I generally move along as quick as possible. If for some reason something falls in my car, I'm having a conversation with someone next to me or I get distracted (happens once or twice a year) and someone honks, I defer to them, since I know I'm in the wrong by not being on the ball. I defer because I have no entitlement over the time of the person behind me. I'm not making up excuses saying how little time it is. I understand it's wrong of me to impose on them unnecessarily. Using your phone while driving is not necessary. It's all very logical. Basically: My pleasure < Their Right to not have people impose on their time. I always find it strange when an issue isn't addressed but instead denied by making it seem small (generally with gross underestimations). I remember a coworker once got fired for stealing a box of pens. When caught he claimed "I didn't steal, it was just a box of pens! It's basically worth nothing." - I think the boss actually fired him for giving that argument instead of owning the issue. * Exceptions could be made for checking the traffic in GPS or some other activity that aids driving (knowing you need to change lanes with advance notice is important). Checking messages emails isn't one such activity, though I've seen a lot of friends and colleges do it much to my chagrin.

by rconti 8y ago

abacadaba 8y ago

Ah so you're the asshole that's always honking at me

leetcrew 8y ago
when you're driving a car, job one is driving the car. how is he the asshole for reminding you that the light is green?
- seandougall 8y ago
  Horns are safety features. They are meant for avoiding an accident, not for venting frustration. Here in California at least, using your horn because you’re feeling impatient at a green light is illegal. (Granted, so is using your phone while stopped in traffic, but that doesn’t make you in the right for honking.)
  - leetcrew 8y ago
    not a californian, so I can't speak to the laws there, but I don't see anything wrong with a quick tap on the horn to let the person know they missed the light change. in my view, this is communication, not mere venting. I would never give someone the full blast unless they were actively doing something unsafe. that said, people expect to go when the light turns green. violating people's expectations as always at least a little dangerous on the road. they should know better, but they don't.
    - 4ntonius8lock 8y ago
      I live in California now. From my experience people are quicker with the horn in bigger metro areas. There's always the one guy who has no patience - although I try to keep in mind that person might be justified in trying to get to a hospital or some other emergency. But generally there is a progression to events which follows what one would expect when walking: 1- Polite "excuse me mis/sir/mam" - tap on the honk 2- Louder "EXCuse ME mis/sir/mam" - double tap/one a little louder 3- Very loud "EXCUSE ME PLEASE?" - loud honk Inevitably, a significant percentage of the time I see this, the person that is being inconsiderate and blocking traffic/a doorway will be annoyed at the person trying to move around. I wonder if there is a study as to the percentage of the population that has this type of reaction.
  - whenchamenia 8y ago
    Horns are a general purpose signaling device. I am aware of no us laws prohibiting its general use ouside city noise ordanances and near hospitals. Honking at a distracted driver is both legal and appropriate.
    - seandougall 8y ago
      When safety is involved, yes. Laws vary by state, and of course enforcement varies even more, but the law in California is quite clear; horns are explicitly not a general purpose signaling device.
  - manfredo 8y ago
    Horn honking is like a language. I doubt very many people are leaning on their horn when the person ahead of them is taking too long to take off from a light. Usually this is communicated through short, almost staccato honks from the horn. To communicate "shit you're about to crash" people lay on the horn. I don't think the honks used to wake up people dozing off at a green like are being mistaken for safety honks.
4ntonius8lock 8y ago
I never get honked at... might want to look into why you are getting honked at often.
crankylinuxuser 8y ago
try "pay attention to the road and press the skinny pedal when its time to go"
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

Dylan16807 8y ago

Several minutes? If you wait 3 seconds then you would have to have more than a hundred people stopped directly behind you to get that far! And that's assuming the entire pack of cars doesn't just catch back up to the one in front of you, where you had to wait anyway, dropping the actual time loss back to about zero.

FiddlyPack 8y ago
If it prevents two or three cars from making the light you were both in together, you’ve needlessly made those specific cars wait for an entire additional cycle...in heavy traffic, it’s bad for everyone when as many vehicles as possible don’t make it through the pipe, as it slows down the entire congested apparatus further.
4ntonius8lock 8y ago
You do realize even if it is 'about zero'... any amount of time needlessly taken from other humans against their consent isn't cool right? Minutes? 3 seconds? Whatever. No one has a right to other people's time. I can't help but feel that anything else is a sense of entitlement over other peoples time. That's not to say someone should blare their horn after 3 seconds, but definitively a tap or two... and if that doesn't work, then get progressively louder.
- Dylan16807 8y ago
  Nobody can drive perfectly with .01 second precision at all times. It's not entitlement to aim for "good driver" without being a neurotic mess about every time you slow down or don't take the first gap. And I think the logical conclusion of having absolutely no right to anyone else's time is to not take up space on the road at all. And when I say "about zero" I mean that it can in fact be exactly zero.
  - 4ntonius8lock 8y ago
    You are right. That is why there is an expectation of you paying attention. Including during a red light. That means not using your phone. I can assure you, if you are using your phone at a red light, it takes more than 0.01 seconds to notice the change in light, put the phone down, look at the street in front of you to make sure there isn't anything new since the last time you looked and go. In fact, if it took you the 0.01 seconds you say, it would literally be impossible for someone to honk you in time before you take off. The amount of time quoted is mind mindbogglingly small. I don't get honked at. When I'm at a red light, I'm paying attention. If I need to use my phone, I pull over. Therefore, when a light changes I generally move along as quick as possible. If for some reason something falls in my car, I'm having a conversation with someone next to me or I get distracted (happens once or twice a year) and someone honks, I defer to them, since I know I'm in the wrong by not being on the ball. I defer because I have no entitlement over the time of the person behind me. I'm not making up excuses saying how little time it is. I understand it's wrong of me to impose on them unnecessarily. Using your phone while driving is not necessary. It's all very logical. Basically: My pleasure < Their Right to not have people impose on their time. I always find it strange when an issue isn't addressed but instead denied by making it seem small (generally with gross underestimations). I remember a coworker once got fired for stealing a box of pens. When caught he claimed "I didn't steal, it was just a box of pens! It's basically worth nothing." - I think the boss actually fired him for giving that argument instead of owning the issue. * Exceptions could be made for checking the traffic in GPS or some other activity that aids driving (knowing you need to change lanes with advance notice is important). Checking messages emails isn't one such activity, though I've seen a lot of friends and colleges do it much to my chagrin.