this post was submitted on 01 May 2026

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ShowerThoughts

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Sometimes we have those little epiphanies in the shower.. sometimes they come from other places. This is a home for those epiphanies.

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Cars should have two horns. A polite one and one that is a fuck you horn (literature.cafe)

submitted 3 months ago by cm0002@literature.cafe to c/showerthoughts@sh.itjust.works

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[–] pulsewidth@lemmy.world 68 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I mean everyone's figured this out more or less though.

Gentle horn tap - polite, informative. "The light is green and you're spaced out, mate".

Pronounced depression (or two) on the horn - stern, informative. "You just swerved into another lane without indicating in heavy traffic, your behavior is risky".

Long extended honks, wild honking, something resembling Morse Code - impolite, abusive. "You just blew a stop sign", "you're driving on the wrong side of the road". "You could kill someone you fucking arsehat".

[–] errer@lemmy.world 33 points 3 months ago (5 children)

I moved from Boston to Southern California and it’s comical the differences in horn use.

Light turns green, car in front doesn’t go

SoCal: One one thousand two one thousand three one thousand four one thousand beep beep

Boston, one millisecond after the green light hits your eyes BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

[–] fizzle@quokk.au 9 points 2 months ago

Yeah here in Australia horn use is almost always offensive. Not reallyalways but that's the default assumption. If you're going to toot toot someone you know you do it fucking carefully after making sure there's no one near by that might think you're beeping at them.

My partner and I visited Vietnam about 15 years ago. The polar opposite. If you're in or in a vehicle and another vehicle is presently in or will be in your vicinity them you're toot toot tooting just to make everyone aware of your presence.

I genuinely like thee Vietnam approach if im honest. Very utilitarian.

[–] MML@sh.itjust.works 8 points 2 months ago

Light is still red

BEEEEEEEEEP BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago

Yes and it’s ridiculous. Settle the fuck down.

[–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Yea, NorEasters have zero patience (this now extends down to northern VA)

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[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

I've had people start honking when the light on the cross street turns red.

[–] notamechanic321@sh.itjust.works 17 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Trucks already have this. A town horn and a country horn

[–] massive_bereavement@fedia.io 9 points 3 months ago

And a fun horn?

[–] cravl@slrpnk.net 13 points 3 months ago (3 children)

I just need a button to play frustrated R2-D2 noises at people. Polite, humorous, and a gentle reminder that there are other humans in those other cars, but still gets the point across.

[–] billwashere@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Well shit... I have a new project now.

[–] 18107@aussie.zone 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Mark Rober video with R2-D2 horn sound.

[–] cravl@slrpnk.net 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I knew when I had the idea that it wasn't original, just couldn't remember where from.

[–] lol_idk@piefed.social 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

There are only humans in my car, other cars are filled with assholes, morons, and idiots, some have a “fucking” modifier attached to them too.

[–] Drusas@fedia.io 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

A Buddhist priest once taught me a very simple and effective exercise to combat that sort of thinking.

As you drive, imagine your car in a bubble. Then expand your bubble to include the vehicle in front of you.

It started with imagining a bubble around yourself (not in a car necessarily) and then expanding it to include the person nearest you.

It's more impactful than it sounds. You quickly come to see/feel them as part of the "you" team.

[–] lol_idk@piefed.social 2 points 2 months ago

I just figure all theses people must have diarrhea. Except the dumb ones, they are probably just dumb

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 8 points 2 months ago (4 children)

At this point, I think all cars should have an LED display for text. Flashing your lights can get people's attention, but it could mean anything. We should be able to set a message (maybe with a handful of defaults) to be displayed either on the front or rear of the vehicle. It can warn people that their light is out, or their trunk is open, or anything else. It'd clear up a lot of confusion.

[–] Obi@sopuli.xyz 9 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

"What a save!"

Chat disabled for 3 seconds...

[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Yeah, being able to actually communicate to other drivers that they really need to go suck start a shotgun and make Hell a worse place isn't going to do much to alleviate road rage.

[–] daychilde@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

I think Car Talk covered how while you'd think that would be a good idea.... It wouldn't be. Lol

[–] avocado@programming.dev 2 points 2 months ago

"Hey Raider!" "Wanna team up?"

[–] Damage@feddit.it 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You misunderstand the purpose of the car horn

[–] Mountainaire@lemmy.world 9 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Actually, they do have different volumes. At least, on Toyotas, the bottom of the steering wheel plays a much softer beep if you just tap it. I use that to indicate, "Come on, now," versus smacking the middle for, "Whoa, Nelly!" or "What the @#$% are you doing?"

[–] DishaweslemOride@lemmy.org 5 points 3 months ago

It’s the same single horn.

[–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

This used to be a requirement in NY - cars actually had a "NY horn circuit" in the 60's and 70's.

[–] DarkerRadical@lemmy.world 13 points 2 months ago

Presumably "eyyy I'm drivin here"

[–] greatbigmodernmess@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago

I saw this same post somewhere else but have the same reply: the INEOS Grenadier has two horns. There is a button on the steering wheel called “toot” and it is for pedestrians and cyclists.

[–] macaw_dean_settle@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

My Volt has a pedestrian honk that works well for this.

[–] Smeagol666@crazypeople.online 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

I wish I had a train horn yesterday. Some asshat in a black Sequoia cut me off from the shoulder. If I were 10 years younger I would have followed this jerk and explained to them the error of their ways. I wish I had an rpg launcher, or at least a paintball gun, mounted on my car.

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I wanted to put the air horn from a semi-truck on my motorcycle. The little ^meep^ ^meep^ button Kawasaki installed wasn't capable of striking sufficient terror into the iPhone user behind the wheel of your average crossover.

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[–] kalpol@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 months ago

My old Mercedes had this. Switch on the dash for "city" or "country" horn settings. Had the same for the headlights, city or highway settings. I loved that car.

[–] Murse@slrpnk.net 4 points 2 months ago

Polite horn:

Fuck you horn:

[–] rants_unnecessarily@piefed.social 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I've thought about this as well, except I think there should be one polite/quieter one for pedestrians and one loud for cars.

I hate the idea of honking the mega loud thing at a pedestrian being a dumbass. I don't want to scare them shitless and make a dangerous situation worse.

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[–] wrinkledoo@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 months ago

Then everyone would just use the "fuck you" horn.

[–] AZX3RIC@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

https://youtu.be/lv8wqnk_TsA

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 months ago

Rolls Royce had city and country horns. Not sure if any still do but I think the Mercedes S class maybe did too at some point in the heyday of Top Gear (early mid 2000s).

[–] SGGeorwell@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

Honk? Shit, they won’t even let you drive it soon.

[–] ironhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 months ago

Gen1 Chevy Volt has this feature

[–] Quilotoa@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

And a horn that says, "Hi there."

[–] Drusas@fedia.io 2 points 2 months ago

No. Just wave.

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