Occasionally when you’re driving, you’ll make a mistake and perhaps need to adjust and it can create some awkward situations. Like today, my dad ended up in the wrong lane to go straight instead of turn at a light. He had to cut in line to make sure we could go the right way. It’d be nice if we could communicate “sorry, I screwed up. Excuse me. I just need to slip in there.”
Right now all we have for inter car communication is the horn, which has kind of an aggressive implication to it. This is for trying to de-escalate potential road rage.
101 Comments
Darkassassin07@lemmy.ca · 84 pts · 1d
"A bad driver never misses their exit"
Sometimes you make a mistake and miss your exit or end up in the wrong lane. That's on you. Re-route, follow the lane you're in, take the next safe turn/exit/lane change to get back on track; you don't just cut in line, forcing others to correct for your own mistakes. That's a great way to create unsafe conditions, end up in accidents, and hurt people. It's not just about peoples ego/anger, it's genuinely dangerous.
Your father doesn't need a 'sorry' button, he needs to correct his poor driving behaviour and not endanger himself, you, or others on the road.
Robotunicorn@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 1d
1000% don’t make others pay for your mistake.
darthelmet@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 1d
Yeah. My dad is an atrocious driver who has gotten lucky so far.
village604@adultswim.fan · 13 pts · 1d
I'm the great driver I am because my dad is just like that.
He's a shining example of what not to do.
hirihit640@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 18h
Driving involves a lot of soft decisions. Any action can be risky, even a regular lane change. But we still do lane changes all the time. Ultimately it's up to us to judge.
Point is, I think there are cases where making a last minute lane change can be totally safe, eg if the cars in the other lane are already stopped.
black0ut@pawb.social · 3 pts · 17h
What causes accidents are not the cars and conditions you see, but the ones you don't.
Humans aren't machines, they make mistakes. And cars have a lot more blind spots than we realize.
That's why we have rules. If we are predictable and follow the rules, even when we don't see anything that could stop us from taking a shortcut, then we're being considerably safer.
Keep in mind that, on the road, it's not just your own safety you need to ensure. An accident can also harm other people, so the more reason to prevent them.
hirihit640@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 15h
But driving rules are not precise. For example, when doing a lane change, how much space should you have in the lane you are entering? It's entirely up to us to judge.
So obviously don't drive on the wrong side of the road whenever you feel like it, but if you for example want to squeeze into a lane of stopped cars (while your lane is also stopped), I don't see the issue
Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 9h
in my state the driver manual specially states to change lanes with enough space that you can see both in your rear view mirror both headlights of the car your getting in front of
Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 9h
if it was totally safe then there's nothing to apologize for
VoodooAardvark@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 1d
Came here to drop that same quote. 🫡
MrOtingocni@lemmy.world · -2 pts · 7h
How does your comment have so many upvotes when it doesn't address the actual topic about a new horn sound at all? It's just finger wagging.
A good example of why humanity is doomed: people are shackled to their reflexive need to jerk off their egos at any and every opportunity they see rather than focus on thinking.
Darkassassin07@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 7h
Instead of addressing the horn sound itself, I've addressed the underlying need/desire for it.
Addding a sorry button wouldn't make things safer or chill tempers, it'd just empower more people to make dangerous moves; playing it off as fine because 'I pressed the sorry button, people should be ok with me endangering them'
The rules of the road exist for good reason. When people don't follow them, it effects more than just themselves and has cost many people their lives through no fault of their own.
Be a better driver; don't make others pay for your poor planning and judgement.
Even OP appears to agree with this, given their reply and upvote on my comment.
An interesting double-standard you have there.
Implying I'm somehow a bad person for pointing out and discussing the consequences of these choices instead of just patting OP on the back and agreeing with their desire - without actually providing any meaningful counter argument to what I've said.
MrOtingocni@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 6h
If the OP had only written "Horns should come equipped with different sounds to better communicate with other drivers", which is the overarching gist of what they were musing, the thread would be different. But they added the story which prompted the thought. Instead of considering the benefits, or even drawbacks, of the proposed suggestion- you fixated on the story itself, seeing a great opportunity to interject some moralizing and also indirectly boast to the rest of the readers about what a good driver you think you are. There's nothing to debated about what you wrote, everything you said is correct.
But it's easy to admonish others opening up to explain a mistake by clubbing them with an imagined perfect scenario.
Should all people be better drivers? Yes, of course. Is that realistic? No. And is it really related to the actual proposal the OP opined on? Very tentatively.
Also, I certainly don't think you are a bad person. A very human person. Just like me. And all the upvoters who are now thinking "Yeah, OP's dad should be a better driver! And thinking that makes me feel better about myself" instead thinking about auditorial communication.
Schwim@lemmy.zip · 18 pts · 1d
You deserve to be able to retire after someone from Shark Tank takes your idea and makes it mandatory on all vehicles.
blimthepixie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 18 pts · 1d
It's not the horn itself but how it's used.
Long blast = angry Two quick bips = not angry One bip = I'm just letting you know I'm here
Two long blasts - The El Dude Brothers
Zorque@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 1d
What if its La Cucaracha?
PancakesCantKillMe@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1d
Everybody has to get out of their cars and dance!
fixmycode@feddit.cl · 8 pts · 1d
I don't know if it's my car or me, but I've always find very difficult to modulate my horn, like if I try to have it do bips, they don't come out, I need to really punch it which means they won't be quickly one after the other. I need more horn practice.
PancakesCantKillMe@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 1d
There are some horns that are just impossible to modulate the length of. Dodge for sure has this problem as the direct to horn wiring is gone. They now run the horn through the body control module. The physical tap of the horn is now lost essentially as it instructs the horn to sound off for its predetermined amount of time. No polite nips of horn sound to wake a driver at a light, but a full on FU to get going!
There are more tech devices to buy that help with this stupidity that tech has created. Progress?
Blibly@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d
Big Beats are the best, get high all the time
datavoid@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 1d
I like it when the long blast is 5 seconds plus, I can't not find that funny
blimthepixie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 1d
Have you ever visited any mainland European country??
olafurp@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 18h
Usage is also country specific. Different countries use different horn communication
viral.vegabond@piefed.social · 15 pts · 1d
Whatever sound it makes would have to be very distinctive and not leave any room for interpretation.
rockSlayer@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 18 pts · 1d
womp womp
snooggums@piefed.world · 6 pts · 1d
I would use this when I see someone do something stupid, like clipping the curb, that doesn't deserve an angry honk.
username_1@discuss.tchncs.de · 6 pts · 1d
Fart sound is good enough.
Asetru@feddit.org · 14 pts · 1d
As humans usually want to express quite complex things but have already developed a tried and tested method to communicate a lot of these complex things, I'd say we just enable voice for inter car communication by equipping every car with a huge megaphone on its roof that can be accessed from any seat inside.
treadful@lemmy.zip · 14 pts · 1d
Zorque@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 21h
Palace Hotel Ballroom... One Night Only
wuffah@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 15h
Hey you, on the bike!
sunsofold@lemmy.zip · 12 pts · 22h
Or your dad could accept that he's going to travel a tiny bit further than he originally intended, and reroute with a u-turn, or a block circle, or a parking lot turn, or something similar. No invasive lane change. No need to apologise for an invasive lane change. No need for a special horn to communicate an apology for an invasive lane change. You don't need to apologise for something you don't make into someone else's problem.
hirihit640@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 18h
I think it's healthier for everybody to accept that mistakes happen, and tolerate the correction, knowing that one day you might make the mistake too.
An invasive lane change costs a few seconds to the other person, while rerouting will usually cost at least a minute. In other words, if we imagine everybody in the world makes that mistake once a month, then forcing everybody to reroute rather than do an invasive lane change, costs the world thousands of more hours.
AAA@feddit.org · 7 pts · 17h
"Sorry I endangered your life, but I cannot be bothered to reroute for a minute."
Yes mistakes happen, but the healthier solution is for people to accept the consequences of their actions. Your view is a manifest to the egocentric society we decry every so often.
If someone crashs into you doing an invasive lane change (or any other mistake correction) I hope you're thankful for them not adding to the world's wasted hours.
What the fuck man.
hirihit640@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 17h
Endangered life? Where did OP say they endangered someone's life? It could have been a lane change in stopped traffic. Which is 100% safe, albeit a bit annoying to the person you cut off. I assume OP knows the difference between annoying and unsafe.
AAA@feddit.org · 1 pts · 17h
You used the word invasive lane change.
hirihit640@sh.itjust.works · -1 pts · 15h
If the lane next to you has stopped traffic, but you cut into a gap between cars and edge in as the traffic begins to move again, that is an "invasive" but also 100% safe move.
It sounds like you've never driven before.
AAA@feddit.org · 2 pts · 15h
Use "safe lane change" then, maybe? Instead of making up scenarios afterwards, where invasive equals safe.
But I feel you have a problem admitting mistakes in general, not just when it comes to traffic.
If you think I don't drive, I think you shouldn't drive.
hirihit640@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 14h
The word "invasive" doesn't even matter here. That was a word you introduced and I was just using it too. But if you want, we can use OP's terminology. OP said cut in line, you responded saying not to do that, and I'm saying that it's fine and can be totally safe.
Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 9h
if it's 100% safe there's no need to apologize!
sem@piefed.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 16m
What is invasive about that, and why would you have to say sorry? It doesn't sound dangerous is everyone is stopped at the same light.
It is not a "sorry" horn, but flashing your hazards once or twice is how to say "thank you" to the car behind you that lets you in.
qevlarr@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 16h
There's already a gesture 🖐️ and there's blinking your hazard lights.
Mnem667@sh.itjust.works · 9 pts · 1d
*sad trombone noises"
Unleaded8163@fedia.io · 9 pts · 1d
Three or four blinks of the four-way / hazard lights is commonly used as "Thank you". That would be appropriate for someone who let you in.
Lodespawn@aussie.zone · 11 pts · 1d
I have never heard of this and would genuinely think the person was having an issue. Where I'm from people just put a hand up as a wave. You lower most of your fingers if they tried to cut you off.
Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 23h
I love how you phrased this.
olafurp@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 18h
The way people communicate in cars using hazard lights is country specific usually in my experience.
Lodespawn@aussie.zone · 2 pts · 9h
I've noticed some small number of people here (Australia) turning them on when they break hard but I think that might be something that model of car does automatically when you jump on the anchors.
olafurp@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 9h
It's pretty common in Palestine, not sure about other Arab countries.
sem@piefed.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 11m
It's common in the USA, especially amongst truckers, where you can't see the hand wave.
Tarquinn2049@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1d
Hmm, I thought this was more common, is it not used in the states or something? Not seeing it anywhere near as much as I was expecting to in this thread. Far as I know this is the standard everyone uses, but I guess not "everyone" everyone.
ozymandias117@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
I've seen turning your headlights/running lights off and on in the US for a "sorry/thanks". I haven't seen hazards used for that ever
sem@piefed.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 10m
It is common in the States, especially amongst truckers.
hansolo@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 19h
It's not a thing in the States at all. There's zero use of the hazard lights other than to indicate your car is having problems and you need to pull over, or you're parking (poorly, usually) and will be right back.
Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 9h
it gets used when approaching stopped traffic on a freeway so cars behind you can brake earlier
hansolo@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 9h
Oh, yeah, I guess so. I've done that a few times when I was pulling up to the back of the traffic.
Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 23h
Lived in the states my entire life. Never heard of that.
Tarquinn2049@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 22h
Yeah, that's what I figured. When stuff isn't as common as you expect on the internet, it probably doesn't happen in the states.
hansolo@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 19h
I've only seen that in Eastern Europe, but as both a "thank you" and also "oh, shit, sorry."
Rolive@discuss.tchncs.de · 2 pts · 16h
Western Europe too. But then again there are a lot of eastern European truck drivers here.
Paradachshund@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 18h
This isn't a thing where I live but I wish it was!
Funkt4st1c@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 20h
As a league of legends player, there is no signal that can universally be accepted to mean a specific thing. It would be abused by bad actors.
That being said, making a wrong turn is more acceptable than being an asshole or endangering other's lives or property. Pay more attention or accept the consequences.
raspberriesareyummy@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 15h
Relevance to the post: 5%
Funkt4st1c@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 11h
A horn thats intended to mean sorry would be misused or misinterpreted on purpose.
Drive better so you dont need to apologize
Please point to the inconsistency
Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works · 0 pts · 9h
it's not inconsistent, it's just talking about league in a post about driving lmao
sem@piefed.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 11m
If you don't see the similarity, then maybe you don't drive a car lol
LovableSidekick@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 1d
If you actually want to be polite for real, the solution is to go around the block and do it the right way. A "sorry" horn won't fix the notion of feeling entitled to make sudden unexpected (i.e. dangerous) moves in traffic to avoid inconveniencing yourself after you fuck up. At best it'll just make you (unjustifiably) feel like a better person.
taiyang@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 1d
Happened to me yesterday, actually, that a large truck stopped suddenly at the end of an intersection and I, behind them, had to stop in the intersection without knowing when or if we'd move again since I couldn't see anything ahead of the truck. A good seven or so seconds later and the light turned yellow so I had to cut to the right (mostly parking) lane to avoid gridlock. Went ahead a few cars to an opening to get back into a driving lane, cutting ahead a little.
My "I'm sorry" horn is really just my shy hand wave out my window though. I don't use AC nor have tinted windows so I think they generally see how I feel, I think. More often than not, it's a "thank you" horn though, as people often have to let me out of my own driveway since I live on a major street and there is rarely a time there aren't cars idling outside waiting for a light.
andrewrgross@slrpnk.net · 6 pts · 1d
I've thought about this too. I once heard a theory that road rage is a result of the fact that cars prevent people from observing the subtle facial and body signals we use to communicate contrition or distress that are visible when you annoy someone under routine circumstances.
If you accidentally cut a line in a buffet or turn a corner and almost run into someone while walking, they can see you as a person and identify that you feel embarrassed. But without that, you just see a big truck or a fancy sedan and you write a whole narrative in your head about the worst fucking person in the whole world going around being an unapologetic asshole.
Personally, I'd rather just get people out of cars more than develop new technologies, but I've often wished I had a megaphone so I could tell someone I was sorry for driving badly.
Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 17h
In situations where you're basically saying, "thank you for being a better driver than me," opening your window and putting out your hand with all fingers fully spread is the correct gesture. For me at least, it dissipates my anger when someone has cut me off, because at least they're acknowledging and apologizing. I usually assume the reason is because shitty GPS gave them impossible directions.
cattywampas@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 1d
We need a "great job" horn.
PancakesCantKillMe@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d
"Way to go, A-hole!"
radix@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 1d
How-to by Mark Rober:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv8wqnk_TsA
It's not very detailed in the video, but gives a good idea on how to get it done.
elevenbones@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 21h
Yeah if only there was some way to signal "I want to go right" or "I want to go left" smh my head
MrOtingocni@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 7h
Various horn sounds is a good idea. I always wanted text messaging displayed on the vehicle.
dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1d
Is this finally the day I get to trot out my recollection of the "Hey Horn" commercials from the early aughts?
This was, alas, a spoof. But the idea was there.
WolfmanEightySix@piefed.social · 4 pts · 13h
I flash my hazard lights a few times.
Malica@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 22h
I always thought you could do like a few different things on a screen running under the windshield or something. Even those analog card flip ones have been around since at least the 80s. Who knows though, it could increase road rage or something. What did they call it on pimp my ride, hatervision?
bizzle@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 20h
Lmfao imagine it gets stuck on like "go fuck yourself"
BigBoyShuanzee@aussie.zone · 3 pts · 12h
I'm in Australia and I don't honk at all when I'm in the wrong.. I put my hand up passively at least twice, once when I'm being let in and second time when I'm leaving the intersection.
When I say "put my hand up" I mean I extend my arm, all my fingers are together like I'm saying Hi but the hand stays still.. This symbol in Australia is what you do to say thanks to people letting you get in front of them and what you do to say sorry to people you've cut off.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 10h
I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you've been heiling Hitler all this time
Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 9h
we kinda do that in the US midwest but it's more of a thanks for letting me in, the apology sign is a middle finger lmao
partofthevoice@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 10h
Where I’m at, you turn on the hazard to say thanks to people behind you, If you get flashed with brights, message received.
Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 9h
My problem with this is that the screw up is the slipping in. In other words, accidents happen and there's nothing wrong with apologizing for something you already did by accident -- but in this case, it's preemptively apologizing for doing something on purpose that you know is wrong, cutting someone off because you already were late/past where you need to go.
If you cut someone off because you didn't see them and you thought it was safe, that's a good reason to apologize. Mistakes happen and it's good to take accountability.
If you're seeing that it's not really safe and the other guy is going to have to slam his brakes because you're going to consciously on purpose cut him off, then yeah you're just being a shitty driver on purpose. Apologizing for something you knowingly did on purpose and will do again? That just makes you a liar on top of that.
tyranny@crazypeople.online · 3 pts · 1d
i find that plunging my face into a custard pie has the same effect
db2@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 1d
Is this the new cakefarts?
RunawayFixer@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 14h
I'd love a 2nd quieter & apologetic horn in my car. When driving electric behind pedestrians it often takes them some time to realize that there is a car driving behind them, and I don't want to use my regular horn to ask them to let me pass.
Cyv_@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 1d
They could have a little beep, like some cars do when you lock them. Made relatively quiet with the double beep further differentiating from a regular honk.
schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de · 2 pts · 1d
A quiet sound won't be audible in other cars most of the time, especially when the windows are closed.
pelespirit@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 1d
A bike bell?
radiouser@crazypeople.online · 2 pts · 1d
genius
new_world_odor@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 23h
He decided he had to make it someone else's problem by needing to be let in, instead of simply affecting only himself (and you unfortunately). Bad decisions on my part should never be imposed on anyone else. And if more others behaved that way, we'd all have less problems.
We don't need a sorry horn. We in the states need a significantly higher barrier to people getting and keeping a license. Cars are a privilege not a right and people should be reminded of that.
NotSteve_@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 1d
I live in an old house right up against one of the main arterial streets for the city centre and pls no, no more horns
muffedtrims@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d
Ope! Lemme squeeze right past ya
agent_nycto@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 10h
GREAT JOB
Unleaded8163@fedia.io · 2 pts · 1d
madkins@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 9h
I thought about doing this with custom sounds a few years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv8wqnk_TsA
Fishnoodle@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 1d
I've thought of this before and it's kind of crazy that we have so many hand gestures to insult and express anger from a distance, but not really anything to say sorry, or apologize.
schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de · 1 pts · 1d
I think this would just reduce the signal to noise ratio.
A_norny_mousse@piefed.zip · 1 pts · 1d
But this sort of stuff (hey, I need your attention here!) is exactly what the horn is for.
As somebody else commented: it can be used non-aggressively, usually in short beeps.