Horn Vs. Brake

[ScooterWolf]

One of the things I've trained myself to do is to cover my horn. I do this whenever I'm passing a car that has the potential of making an unexpected left turn in front of me, while I eye their front left wheel for any signs of a change in direction.

It's muscle memory for me at this point, and I'm actually surprised how quickly my thumb will react in hitting my horn in emergency situations. It's both saved and has gotten me out of a lot of close calls.

A few days ago a SUV cut into my lane on a four lane highway. I was in a center lane and they were in the cruising lane on the far right. It was during rush hour and the flow of traffic was about 60 mph. When the car swerved into my lane my thumb instantly hit my horn button followed my both my hands going for my brake levers. In the time this took the SUV swerved back into their lane on hearing my horn, allowing me to stop myself from grabbing my brakes in a full panic stop which could've had the potential of casing a lock up and low side crash.

The horn gave me the time I needed to access the situation and make the decision not to panic fully.

Does anyone else favor their horn to the point of it's a reflex, or have you had other experiences where the brakes are your first response, and done so in a controlled way?

- Wolf

[john grinsel]

Neither horn or brakes are really good way out of emergency situation----How about swerve/just slowing down?   Speaking from over 1.5 million 2 wheel miles.  And of course paying attention....and scooter has no place but slow lane on multi lane roads.....even my TMAX or SilverWing, too.

[ScooterWolf]

I tend to pick the lane that is strategically the safest to place myself in. Sometimes the slow (right) lane can be equally as dangerous because drivers are moving over towards it from the left lanes in order to exit, or are entering the left lane from onramps to merge into traffic. For me that places a lot of chaos around me. This is generally the case around rush hour.

Looking around goes without question. All riders focus on that, and staying out of the wolf pack of traffic as well, but not always possible during rush-hour. Swerving may not be possible if there are vehicles on both sides of you. In the situation I was in the horn was one option to deescalate the potential emergency. A emergency stop was the other, but I'm glad it didn't come to that.

- Wolf

[CROSSBOLT]

Since it is a requirement in most states of this country to have a horn that may be heard 200 feet I fully intend to use it occasionally! The intent is so .... ah.... intense, a WOLO horn has been substituted for the wimpy original. More than once have seen a situation begin to develop that a WOLO blast prevented whatever disaster could have happened. Even occasionally it has stopped what appeared to be a disasterous "thought pattern" from becoming action to my sorrow! Like John said, a great deal can be avoided by "reading" the situation, much like the old river pilots "read" the river, a necessity since the river bed changed frequently.

[ScooterWolf]

Very true. I've been commuting that route for about 9 years, and unfortunately the unexpected still happens, which I do my best to prepare for. The horn helped that day, and the next time it may be just the brakes.

Good river metaphor.

- Wolf

[john grinsel]

I still say in US, scooters belong in the slow lane as they(most) do not have the performance to get out of their own way.   My big city 2 wheel commuting experience---Stuttgart/Tokyo/Seoul/Minneapolis/Yokohama/Vicenza, etc, etc,


For me much better than hand on horn buttom----white helmet, Hi-Vis jacket or vest, good riding technique.

[stuo]

The first thing I do with a new scooter is install two (high and low pitch ) LOUD snail horns that let drivers know I'm there. It requires a relay and a fused 14 gauge wire from the battery but I consider it cheap insurance that may save my life. The horns on bikes are too damn wimpy. 

[CROSSBOLT]

I still say in US, scooters belong in the slow lane as they(most) do not have the performance to get out of their own way.   My big city 2 wheel commuting experience---Stuttgart/Tokyo/Seoul/Minneapolis/Yokohama/Vicenza, etc, etc,


For me much better than hand on horn buttom----white helmet, Hi-Vis jacket or vest, good riding technique.

Considering the scoot I have, I ride it like it was a "real motorcycle" in the lane of choice, in command of a space the size of a car plus the buffer zone. Now, normally, ALL vehicles in this country while on multi-lane highways are to remain right unless to pass. Stated another way, slower traffic to the right. But that slower traffic has the option of passing if the operator judges the performance of his vehicle is capable. All that was said without reference to what the vehicle may be. And that is as it should be.

[Texxan]

It's just the opposite in Texas (mainly in Austin)
Left lane is for texting(or Diesel pickups)
Right lane is left open so people can pull onto a 75mph highway at 50mph
Center two lanes are stacked up with people who don't know what to do
Entrance/Exit ramps are slow so you can start or finish your text
Turning or exiting from the left lane to a right turn on a three lane road is permitted
as long as you're not speeding

Motorcyclists do whatever they can to dodge the bullet (or texter)
(they allow bicyclists to ride on 70mph two lane roads down here)

[Stig / Major Tom]

Some Hondas reversed the usual positions of horn & turn signal.
Too many times I angrily signaled a turn at some idiot!
Stig