Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

atlasobscura.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

311–320 of 378 posts

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

#311

Post by alex_smart »

oblio wrote: post #236
alex_smart wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Way my colleagues told me, circulation is such a mess there’s no way you can check all around you It's not so much that you can't, but that most people don't and with no driver education and no enforcement of traffic rules, you are stuck in a shitty nash equilibrium. I learnt driving in Canada, and I have tried to continue the same driving habits in India - because that is the only way I feel safe while driving. I s…

It's probably going to change as they get more cars, more highways and better driver educations. It's probably going to take decades.

No change is automatic. Why will it change just because there are more cars and more highways? And where is the push for better driver education? There is none.

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

#312

Post by nawgz »

kube-system wrote: post #308
nawgz wrote: post #297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My car has more controls for the lights alone than my first vehicle had for everything. Literally. As someone driving a 2021 Subaru who grew up in a 99 Integra and an 01 Civic. I don't see this at all? The controls are extremely familiar for the lighting, except my new car has a no-friction option: I turn on the "Auto" setting and it automatically puts on DRLs or full lights for me given the lighting conditions. It…

I'm not sure what the solution is, or whether it is even a design problem at all, rather than a societal/political/licensing problem. My older vehicles had 3 controls for exterior lighting: parking lights, headlights, high beam. They were simple on-offs with feedback that indicated their current state. If people couldn't see your car, you couldn't see your gauges. My 2021 Honda has SEVEN pages in the owners manual de…

What you describe here is clearly insanity, although I am slightly unconvinced owner's manual page count is very relevant.

I read nothing and intuitively understood my car's controls, this is what I also agree should be the clear state, and it seems to me in some sense it should be legislated to prevent what you describe. It is an interesting point though, should each vehicle manufacturer be obligated to put a light stick with some exact set of controls for the headlights in?

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

#313

Post by foolfoolz »

sjg007 wrote: post #219
calahad wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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... )

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

in zanzibar they all have their brights on at night. everyone is blinded

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

#314

Post by kube-system »

nawgz wrote: post #312
kube-system wrote: post #308

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure what the solution is, or whether it is even a design problem at all, rather than a societal/political/licensing problem. My older vehicles had 3 controls for exterior lighting: parking lights, headlights, high beam. They were simple on-offs with feedback that indicated their current state. If people couldn't see your car, you couldn't see your gauges. My 2021 Honda has SEVEN pages in the owners manual de…

What you describe here is clearly insanity, although I am slightly unconvinced owner's manual page count is very relevant. I read nothing and intuitively understood my car's controls, this is what I also agree should be the clear state, and it seems to me in some sense it should be legislated to prevent what you describe. It is an interesting point though, should each vehicle manufacturer be obligated to put a light…

I don't think it is insanity. It's part of the complexity inherent to managing state with auto high beams. My Toyota worked differently but had other complexities. I just looked up a 2021 Legacy manual and it sounds like Subaru High Beam Assist works about the same way as my Toyota did.

The annoying thing about that design is, if I want to turn my high beams on manually, and the car decides that a street light in the distance is a vehicle, it will ignore my request to turn on my high beams when I push the stick forward. I then also have to set my primary headlights to manual mode in order to override the car. This requires turning the knob at the end of the stalk which is not backlit and therefore not legible while driving at night. This is one area where I like the Honda design better: I can always turn my high beams with one operation.

I think the page count is relevant because it is indicative of complexity and is likely inversely related to the number of people who read it.

While I am sure you probably do understand the controls on your vehicle -- I think it is important to note that the people driving around with lights in an improper state at night are also under the impression that they understand their vehicle's controls. They're just mistaken.

I personally wish licensing and enforcement was more stringent. But this is not politically possible in the US.

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

#315

Post by barbs »

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... )

A few years ago in Sydney Australia there was a couple of cops catching jaywalkers at a traffic light. My friend warned passengers at the other side about them, and then the cops came up to her and told her to move along because she was "obstructing justice".

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

#316

Post by Firehawke »

Dayshine wrote: post #304
throwaway0a5e wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Attitudes like yours are what embolden governments to engage in revenue enforcement the proliferation of which leads to people tipping each other off about said revenue enforcement (e.g. flashing their lights to warn of speed traps). People wouldn't be warning each other about the cops if "people the cops shake down" and "people who were doing dangerous things just prior to being shook down" had more overlap.

I'm not sure I understand your point, unless you're arguing that national speed limits are deliberately low so that police can fine people driving at the "correct" speed? Or that police lie about your speed and fine you anyway?

The former is definitely true. There are towns out there in the United States that are on an interstate and play games with their speed limits. You'll see a speed limit of 60-70 up until you hit city limits then it suddenly drops to 30-40, with enforcement lined up at the city limits waiting to nab people.

They're making good money off of these fines.

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

#317

Post by dvirsky »

kube-system wrote: post #287
TylerE wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

Or even poorly aligned OEM lights. Most US states don't have vehicle inspections, and the ones that do usually aren't checking headlight alignment.

You have to have your headlights alignment tested every year in Israel. And being caught with badly aligned lights can lead to a ticket if a police car is on the receiving end.

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

#318

Post by hadlock »

kube-system wrote: post #283
hadlock wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Auto high-beams is absolutely allowed in the US and common on new cars. I've had a couple cars with this feature.

My current car has auto high beams. Beam shaping is different technology, rather than a boolean operation, it allows the computer to turn off specific LEDs that are pointed at oncoming traffic, leaving the road ahead of you fully illuminated without blinding oncomming traffic

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

#319

Post by stronglikedan »

hadlock wrote: post #266
genewitch wrote: post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

> it's not allowed in the US

My MDX does it, and they have had that capability since at least 2017.

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

#320

Post by kube-system »

hadlock wrote: post #318
kube-system wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Auto high-beams is absolutely allowed in the US and common on new cars. I've had a couple cars with this feature.

My current car has auto high beams. Beam shaping is different technology, rather than a boolean operation, it allows the computer to turn off specific LEDs that are pointed at oncoming traffic, leaving the road ahead of you fully illuminated without blinding oncomming traffic

The GP specifically referred to a vehicle that would "turn your high beams off"
Post reply on HN