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The origins of ‘horn ok please,’ India’s most ubiquitous phrase (2016)

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Re: The origins of ‘horn ok please,’ India’s most ubiquitous phrase (2016)

#261

Post by TylerE »

dvirsky wrote: post #245
sdfjkl wrote: post #85

Different cultures have different unwritten behaviours on roads. In the mountains of Italy, drivers give a short honk before entering a turn on a serpentine road, which usually can't be seen around. If there is no responding honk, they will take the full width of the road (making the very tight turn easier and faster). Tourist drivers have to pick up on this :) In much of Europe oncoming cars flash their lights to wa…

In Israel, flashing the warning lights or hazard lights or whatever they're called when driving, means "hey car behind me, you're on high beams and blinding me, please stop". Since moving to the US I haven't found an effective way to signal people about this, they certainly don't understand this signal. Flashing high beams quickly is either a warning about police ahead, or "turn on your damn lights" (there is also a…

> Since moving to the US I haven't found an effective way to signal people about this, they certainly don't understand this signal.

Between lifted pickup trucks and shoddy, poorly-aligned aftermarket HID lights, it's probably that a high percentage of them AREN'T using brights, even if it feels like it.

Re: The origins of ‘horn ok please,’ India’s most ubiquitous phrase (2016)

#262

Post by whymauri »

calahad wrote: post #143
sdfjkl wrote: post #85

Different cultures have different unwritten behaviours on roads. In the mountains of Italy, drivers give a short honk before entering a turn on a serpentine road, which usually can't be seen around. If there is no responding honk, they will take the full width of the road (making the very tight turn easier and faster). Tourist drivers have to pick up on this :) In much of Europe oncoming cars flash their lights to wa…

Flashing the high-beams to warn of police is a thing in the US also, although you can get ticketed for it. (Apparently this has been successfully challenged in court as free speech though lol https://www.myimprov.com/flashing-headlights-in-florida-prot... )

This is why rural Arizonan drivers were my favorite during a cross-country roadtrip. Everyone drove fast, but competently, and gave you a heads up for speed traps. By the time I crossed into CO I was flashing my lights to warn of police, too.

Re: The origins of ‘horn ok please,’ India’s most ubiquitous phrase (2016)

#263

Post by wwalexander »

genewitch wrote: post #254
sjg007 wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most people these days drive with their LED high beams on all the time.

I don't understand how a car with detectors that dim mirrors can't also turn your high beams off when they detect another car in front of you. Easily 5/8ths or more of every vehicle I pass at night has their high beams on, and in areas without fog lines it gets old in a hurry - and dangerous.

This feature is present in at least a couple of Toyota’s newer models that I’ve had the chance to drive (specifically a Prius Prime and RAV4 Prime).

Re: The origins of ‘horn ok please,’ India’s most ubiquitous phrase (2016)

#264

Post by progman32 »

genewitch wrote: post #254
sjg007 wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most people these days drive with their LED high beams on all the time.

I don't understand how a car with detectors that dim mirrors can't also turn your high beams off when they detect another car in front of you. Easily 5/8ths or more of every vehicle I pass at night has their high beams on, and in areas without fog lines it gets old in a hurry - and dangerous.

Where do y'all live? That doesn't seem to be the case here in the Seattle area. I've noticed modern cars' headlight look like high beams sometimes, even on the low beam setting.

Re: The origins of ‘horn ok please,’ India’s most ubiquitous phrase (2016)

#265

Post by alkonaut »

sva_ wrote: post #145
newswasboring wrote: post #41

Ok, time to throw in the explanation I grew up with. I always thought it was definitive, but turns out its not. Unfortunately I have already passed on this urban legend :P. On foggy roads in north India, it is difficult to see vehicles on the road. So lights were used to indicate the status of big vehicles like trucks. Two lit bulbs on left and right corners (illuminating Horn Please) meant honk to get a pass. And to…

I presumed it is because almost no trucks there have side-mirrors. Or if they have any, probably not for long.

Seems like a pretty infuriating state of affairs when India has a horrible rate of accidents and a government that wants to address it. Is there no talk of (for example) mandating mirrors, lights and other important equipment on all vehicles, and ticketing offenders? The next step would be overloaded trucks, (especially if the load is human).

Re: The origins of ‘horn ok please,’ India’s most ubiquitous phrase (2016)

#266

Post by hadlock »

genewitch wrote: post #254
sjg007 wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most people these days drive with their LED high beams on all the time.

I don't understand how a car with detectors that dim mirrors can't also turn your high beams off when they detect another car in front of you. Easily 5/8ths or more of every vehicle I pass at night has their high beams on, and in areas without fog lines it gets old in a hurry - and dangerous.

This technology exists in Europe, it's not allowed in the US due to very specific wording about headlight laws here, but very recently regulations were changed to allow for it. Not sure if it was in the infrastructure bill that already passed, or the follow-up one they're currently trying to pass. Most BMW (and probably Mercedes, Audi etc) with adaptive LED lights built after ~2017 have the hardware for this for use in international markets, and could probably be retrofitted with a firmware update unlocking it for use in the US market.

Re: The origins of ‘horn ok please,’ India’s most ubiquitous phrase (2016)

#267

Post by omoikane »

rootsudo wrote: post #107
sdfjkl wrote: post #85

Different cultures have different unwritten behaviours on roads. In the mountains of Italy, drivers give a short honk before entering a turn on a serpentine road, which usually can't be seen around. If there is no responding honk, they will take the full width of the road (making the very tight turn easier and faster). Tourist drivers have to pick up on this :) In much of Europe oncoming cars flash their lights to wa…

The same applies in southeast Asia/China/Japan, for both. It isn't exactly ubiquitous just in Europe. Not in USA though.

I don't see those signage on cars in the USA, but there are a few places where cars are explicitly told to blow their horn, example: https://goo.gl/maps/WWC4ACVRdeyUQnZ57

Re: The origins of ‘horn ok please,’ India’s most ubiquitous phrase (2016)

#269

Post by guiltygods »

alex_smart wrote: post #227
JulianMorrison wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IIRC English - Indian English, not British or American - is the second language of the most people in India. Otherwise, they have so many local languages they would be mutually incomprehensible. But everyone learns English, and so they can talk and do business.

>IIRC English - Indian English, not British or American - is the second language of the most people in India It isn't. According to 2011 census, 11% people in India can speak English (I suspect that the actual number is much lower). Hindi on the other hand is spoken by 57%. English is the language of elitism in India.

> English is the language of elitism in India.

English is lingua franca regardless of social or economic status.

Every child gets to learn 3 languages : one local language, One regional elective (or Hindi), and English.

English is now pervasive enough that transliterated words are common in all languages and are being used natively. People use English words and idioms without even realizing they are speaking English. You will find even in remotest corners someone who will understand and converse in rudimentary English (especially the youngsters).

Re: The origins of ‘horn ok please,’ India’s most ubiquitous phrase (2016)

#270

Post by throwaway0a5e »

unscaled wrote: post #230
r00f wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A friend from Syria once told me that in their country flashing warning lights means "f* you", and when he saw it for the first time when going abroad, he was really angry when someone thanked him. Like "I've just let him merge and that is how he acts to me?!" But I personally haven't heard of any other cases when this isn't considered a thank you gesture

In Israel the most common meaning is "Get off my lane, RIGHT NOW!", so I wouldn't be surprised if it's not just Syria but a big chunk of the Middle East that follows that rule. It could also be used to call another driver's attention (e.g. if you have a broken taillight and did not notice), or to warn against a police trap (in the pre-Waze era) and maybe a few other things, but it never means "thank you".

Its contextual.

Car coming the other way flashes and it means hazard ahead.

If it's at night and your DRLs are the only thing on it means "turn on your lights moron"

At an intersection it usually means "go" to whichever party should be yielding to the flashing party.

Of course if you're in the left land and flash your brights at someone who's clogging up the left lane there's a good chance they won't understand it because if they could understand the context they wouldn't be clogging up the left lane in the first place.

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