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> For me, the horn is a warning sign Here in Massachusetts, it seems the horn has only three functions. The first, a quick "beep beep" signals that you recogn

> For me, the horn is a warning sign Here in Massachusetts, it seems the horn has only three functions. The first, a quick "beep beep" signals that you recognize another driver or pedestrian and are saying hello. The second, a one to three second beep means that the traffic light has switched to green and car in front of you has not begun moving within 20ms. And the third, a five to sixty second "beeeeeeeeep" means that you consider the other driver to have made a mistake and needs to understand their very, very low place in the social hierarchy. This third one is the most used.

amalcon 5y ago
Worth noting that a "mistake" in Massachusetts includes not just things that are dangerous, but also such grave misconduct as stopping for a yellow light, going at only the speed limit, or riding a bicycle.
- brirec 5y ago
  There’s something about being a motor vehicle driver that just makes bicycle riders very bad people
  - Sohcahtoa82 5y ago
    There's a lot of confirmation bias at work, IMO. Some bicycle riders are indeed very bad people. They think they have the right-of-way in every scenario and will run red lights and act like the car drivers are the assholes when they almost get hit by cross-traffic that has the green. Drivers usually only notice the asshole bicyclists. But in some cases, drivers need to get over the fact that bicyclists exist and understand that sometimes the actions of a bicyclists, while inconvenient for the driver, are the safest. For example, bicyclists do not belong on sidewalks. In areas with a lot of pedestrians (like downtown city blocks), a bicyclist is going to be incredibly limited in their speed on the sidewalk. In suburbs, a bicyclist on the sidewalk is less likely to be seen by a driver and is more likely to get hit by a car making a turn, especially if there are cars parked on the curb. In some states, it's actually illegal for bicyclists to ride on the sidewalk. When they ride in the middle of the lane, it's not to be a dick. It's because there are dick drivers that will pass them and give them only a couple inches of space, which is dangerous. By riding in the middle, when a driver passes, it gives them a lot of room to move to the right if they feel the driver isn't giving them adequate space.
    - bettysdiagnose 5y ago
      I think even to describe them as "very bad people" is quite the stretch. They may be a little bit obnoxious but running a red light as a car vs running a red light as a cyclist is completely and utterly different. Firstly the implications of running a red as a bicycle are typically just that other road users tut, it's very rare that anybody gets hurt, and if they do nobody dies except maybe the cyclist. Secondly it's that the entire traffic light system makes perfect sense for cars and other motorised transport, but only makes some sense for bicycles some of the time. There are a huge number of crossings where you go "it makes perfect sense for cars to stop here, but I as a cyclist basically only have to stop here to not upset drivers". IMO to reject and protest against the utter domination of our cities and public spaces by cars necessarily involves skipping traffic light systems that only make sense for cars. But doing it safely and with respect for pedestrians and other road users.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
pif 5y ago
Same stuff in Italy.
rahoulb 5y ago
We have a fourth one - you're a woman or a non-white person and I'm going to lean out of the window and yell obscenities at you.
- slingnow 5y ago
  No, we don't.
  - rahoulb 5y ago
    Well as a brown person I can tell you it happens to me about once every three months. My wife and eldest daughter report the same. And my non-white and female friends agree that it is a common occurrence. Anecdotal, I know. But still what my experience shows.
gwbas1c 5y ago
Around 1995 the Massachusetts driver's manual said something like "Only use the horn in an emergency" or "Only use the horn to avoid an accident." I've found that most Massachusetts drivers abide by that. > and car in front of you has not begun moving within 20ms No... It's more like 2-3 seconds. But you THINK it's 20ms because you're not paying attention.
bscphil 5y ago
Here in southern California, we have those 3, but we also have a 4th one which is very important: the "fuck you for honking" honk. If someone else has made a mistake or is on the verge of making one, and you honk at them to warn them or others of the mistake, they will immediately honk back at you, holding the horn for at least a second longer than you held yours. This is because, to the typical SoCal driver, they never deserve to be honked at, and how-fucking-dare-you do it to them.

amalcon 5y ago

Worth noting that a "mistake" in Massachusetts includes not just things that are dangerous, but also such grave misconduct as stopping for a yellow light, going at only the speed limit, or riding a bicycle.

brirec 5y ago
There’s something about being a motor vehicle driver that just makes bicycle riders very bad people
- Sohcahtoa82 5y ago
  There's a lot of confirmation bias at work, IMO. Some bicycle riders are indeed very bad people. They think they have the right-of-way in every scenario and will run red lights and act like the car drivers are the assholes when they almost get hit by cross-traffic that has the green. Drivers usually only notice the asshole bicyclists. But in some cases, drivers need to get over the fact that bicyclists exist and understand that sometimes the actions of a bicyclists, while inconvenient for the driver, are the safest. For example, bicyclists do not belong on sidewalks. In areas with a lot of pedestrians (like downtown city blocks), a bicyclist is going to be incredibly limited in their speed on the sidewalk. In suburbs, a bicyclist on the sidewalk is less likely to be seen by a driver and is more likely to get hit by a car making a turn, especially if there are cars parked on the curb. In some states, it's actually illegal for bicyclists to ride on the sidewalk. When they ride in the middle of the lane, it's not to be a dick. It's because there are dick drivers that will pass them and give them only a couple inches of space, which is dangerous. By riding in the middle, when a driver passes, it gives them a lot of room to move to the right if they feel the driver isn't giving them adequate space.
  - bettysdiagnose 5y ago
    I think even to describe them as "very bad people" is quite the stretch. They may be a little bit obnoxious but running a red light as a car vs running a red light as a cyclist is completely and utterly different. Firstly the implications of running a red as a bicycle are typically just that other road users tut, it's very rare that anybody gets hurt, and if they do nobody dies except maybe the cyclist. Secondly it's that the entire traffic light system makes perfect sense for cars and other motorised transport, but only makes some sense for bicycles some of the time. There are a huge number of crossings where you go "it makes perfect sense for cars to stop here, but I as a cyclist basically only have to stop here to not upset drivers". IMO to reject and protest against the utter domination of our cities and public spaces by cars necessarily involves skipping traffic light systems that only make sense for cars. But doing it safely and with respect for pedestrians and other road users.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

pif 5y ago

Same stuff in Italy.

rahoulb 5y ago

We have a fourth one - you're a woman or a non-white person and I'm going to lean out of the window and yell obscenities at you.

slingnow 5y ago
No, we don't.
- rahoulb 5y ago
  Well as a brown person I can tell you it happens to me about once every three months. My wife and eldest daughter report the same. And my non-white and female friends agree that it is a common occurrence. Anecdotal, I know. But still what my experience shows.

gwbas1c 5y ago

Around 1995 the Massachusetts driver's manual said something like "Only use the horn in an emergency" or "Only use the horn to avoid an accident." I've found that most Massachusetts drivers abide by that. > and car in front of you has not begun moving within 20ms No... It's more like 2-3 seconds. But you THINK it's 20ms because you're not paying attention.

bscphil 5y ago

Here in southern California, we have those 3, but we also have a 4th one which is very important: the "fuck you for honking" honk. If someone else has made a mistake or is on the verge of making one, and you honk at them to warn them or others of the mistake, they will immediately honk back at you, holding the horn for at least a second longer than you held yours. This is because, to the typical SoCal driver, they never deserve to be honked at, and how-fucking-dare-you do it to them.