It might be you. That, or it might drive you bananas as you listen to a cacophony of horn honking and noise. So, is it ever illegal for the person next to you to honk wildly in their sedan, SUV, or truck?

Depending on your state of residence, you might be breaking the law by honking your horn too much

Believe it or not, “leaning on that tooter, Charlie,” or honking your car’s horn excessively could land you in hot water with the police. For instance, in many states, like California and Oregon, it’s illegal to “honk your horn for any purpose other than to alert other drivers.” Well, isn’t that every circumstance? Not quite. 

Think of that distracted driver intruding into your lane and nearly taking your front end off in the process. That’s warranting of you honking your car horn. That, and some defensive driving, of course. It’s also a useful implement in the smartphone age to get inattentive drivers moving after a traffic signal turns green. 

However, it doesn’t mean you’re allowed to honk your horn until it ceases operation to annoy other drivers or celebrate. Many states and cities have noise ordinances that prohibit excessive noise from a vehicle, like its exhaust system or horn. For instance, in New York City, the authorities are using cameras with sound measuring facilities to catch noisy cars in the act. 

That said, the noise-measuring equipment in NYC captures a vehicle as it exceeds 85 dB. Your car’s horn is likely 107 dB or louder. More often than not, the cameras with noise-measuring technology are on the hunt for cars with loud exhaust systems. But that doesn’t mean you won’t one day get a noise ticket for honking your horn excessively.

Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t equip your vehicle with a loud, aftermarket horn. In some cases, car builders have equipped their vehicles with horns capable of 120 dB or more. Still, 107 or 120 dB, a single honk or two should do.

Source: ABC7