Why Do We Honk So Much?
I don’t have the first clue why we do it, but it is indeed a unique phenomenon. Maybe we think honking is our way of asserting the ‘right of way’, but I suspect there is something far more revealing behind it.The Airport Incident
What really took the cake was an incident at the Delhi airport. The airplane had just reached its apron parking position, and we were being ferried to the terminal in a bus.The bus driver, however, was losing patience. An aircraft was crossing in front of us — slowly, deliberately, doing exactly what aircraft are meant to do. There was no traffic signal to wait for, no confusion about right of way.
And yet, the driver began honking. At an airplane.
Honking as Impatience, Not Communication
That moment summed it all up. The horn was not being used as a warning. It was not a request. It was simply an expression of impatience — a refusal to accept even a few seconds of waiting.Honking, in such moments, becomes a way of externalising frustration. It serves no practical purpose, but it gives the honker a fleeting sense of control.
When There Is No One Else on the Road
I’ve seen this behaviour elsewhere too. Drivers honking when there is no one else on the road. No obstruction. No pedestrian. No traffic.Perhaps it is to reassure themselves that they are present, alert, dominant. Or perhaps the silence itself is unsettling — and the horn becomes a way to fill it.
A Reflection of How We Use Public Space
Indian roads are not just spaces of movement; they are contested territories. Everyone is in a hurry, and everyone believes their urgency matters more than anyone else’s.The horn becomes a declaration: *I am here. I will not wait. Adjust yourself around me.*
More Than Just Noise
Excessive honking is not a traffic problem alone. It is a cultural habit, born out of impatience, lack of civic trust, and the belief that rules are negotiable if one is loud enough.Until waiting is no longer seen as weakness, and silence is no longer uncomfortable, the horn will continue to speak for us — loudly, unnecessarily, and often absurdly.
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