Questionnaire survey on vehicle horn use

The Japanese Road Traffic Law provides that a vehicle horn should be utilized in dangerous situations or at places where a horn sign has been installed. However, drivers also frequently use their vehicle's horn as a signal in the situations when they pass each other. As such, the above-mentioned law is likely to become a law in name only. Therefore, a questionnaire survey was carried out to ascertain the current circumstances of vehicle horn usage. Respondents were asked the latest or last remembered instance of horn use in various situations, both when they were driving and also when they were pedestrians. With regards to experiences of being tooted at by another driver, the questionnaire included questions concerning place, traffic volume, the aim of horn use, timing pattern of horn tooting, the respondent's mental reaction when tooted at by another driver, etc. As a result, drivers were found to mostly have had negative mental reactions when the subject of long toots. Pedestrians' negative mental reactions were mainly aroused by horn use to gain another's attention or to inform of danger. Furthermore, over 40 percent of non-drivers were displeased with the volume and the sound quality of horns.