Honking may soon attract a penalty in Mumbai

Indian motoring scene has undergone a sea change over the years. The advent of modern cars has transformed our outlook, but, one thing that hasn’t changed is honking; we make the best use of horns provided in a car. Some motorists even upgrade their hushed horns into something that will give them street presence. This is exactly what the Maharashtra government wants to change and is on the lookout for innovative ideas to ensure that motorists honk less.

Noble minds across the city are working to find a solution to this problem. One such example is Project Bleep, developed by Mayur Tekchandaney, it features a simple warning system that urges the driver to honk less. Mayur’s company states the system leads to reduction of more than 60 per cent in honking from cars equipped with their device. The system is a small beeping device with a flashing light placed in the car which goes off if the driver is honking excessively, alerting the driver that he is exceeding the limits. Project Bleep is also in talks with the government to make this device mandatory in all vehicles and cabs.

A bunch of engineers have developed another system named Oren Horn Usage Meter, which was reported by a newspaper too. This system allows the driver to honk for a limited number which is referred to ‘honk allowance’ after which the tail-lights of the vehicle start to flash. This would then allow the cops to catch hold of the offender and hand them a fine. 

This will take a long time to be implemented and some motorists may even take objection to installing devices in their cars. The root cause of excessive honking is improper driving skills, every motorist must be taught defensive driving. This would require more than just fitting devices in cars and some may even find ways to manipulate the system. But nevertheless this would be an excellent initiative to keep noise off the road.

Source: HT