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So, Irish, there really is nothing as a "short, friendly tap on the horn"? Damn my long ago driver's Ed teacher all to hell! LOL

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ORIGINAL: IrishMist

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So, Irish, there really is nothing as a "short, friendly tap on the horn"? Damn my long ago driver's Ed teacher all to hell! LOL

I did not say that. I too, when I went through DE as a teen, was taught that.

What I said was that for many people, having someone 'tap' on their horn behind them, can cause irritability, which in turn can cause anger, which in turn means that you are the recipient.

You had choices to make in that situation. You chose to tap your horn. It was not your only choice though.

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ORIGINAL: GreedyTop

Semi.. get one of those "air horn in a can" things!! *ducks and runs*

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When is it appropriate to use your horn? Generally, you should only honk the horn when reasonably necessary to insure safe driving. For example, if your brakes have gone out, honk to alert other drivers.

Use your horn to promote safe driving

However, there are times when it is common and acceptable to use your horn when there’s no immediate threat of a crash. Keep in mind that there is a big difference between giving a quick “beep” and laying on your horn with an obnoxious “BEEEEEEEEEEP”. For example, if the driver in front of you at a red light is not paying attention when the light changes to green, wait at least 4 seconds and then give a light, quick tap on the horn.
If another driver is driving too close to the lane line or almost hits you, it is appropriate to give a quick “beep” to let them know that they made a driving error and need to be more cautious. A quick honk of the horn can mean “Watch what you’re doing!”

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Don’t use your horn to ask “What’s Happening?”

Do not honk at your friends because this could alarm other drivers. You may startle another driver into slamming on their brakes, aborting their turn, or performing some other dangerous maneuver. Your horn is not a way to say “Hey” as you drive past your friends.

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Honking is sometimes against the law

In some cities, honking your horn between certain hours is against the law. I don’t think anyone will miss the neighborhood carpool mom honking at 6:00 a.m. to get the kids outside. You don’t have to worry about breaking the law if you use your horn only when absolutely necessary. Not wanting to get out of the car and ring the doorbell is not grounds for using your horn.

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ORIGINAL: IrishMist

I did not find the post to be defensive, and I saw the humor in it.

Quite honestly, I have never used my horn unless I was waiting for someone outside their home and wanted to alert them that I was there, or I was driving by someone I knew. What's more, I can freely admit that my response to your question of 'what would I do' is more do to training than anything else For most people, getting out of your car to see if someone in front of you is ok, simply because they stopped on the street...well, it can be dangerous walking into a situation that you know nothing about.

Seriously though...your whole post was about the lack of civility in others. I am just trying to point out that sometimes, we have to stop looking at what others are lacking, and instead focus on ourselves...it could have been that when you parked your cars, if you had gone over to him and simply stated, "I am sorry sir, but your stopping like that caused me to be concerned for your safety. Is there anything I can do to help you with?" His response might still have been angry, but YOU would have acted with grace, dignity, and consideration. Sometimes, a reaction like that can take the wind out of the sails and leave a person floundering instead.

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ORIGINAL: AttitudyJudy
You have to be rational to be civil.....it was obvious that it was an accident..... but some people just aren't rational.

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Enough about that incident, I guess I would like to talk about civility in a larger sense. It is kind of a big issue in my profession. Attorneys used to be pretty collegial, but about 20 years ago, some firms decided that a more aggressive approach was warranted. It doesn't happen much in the town where i practice, since it is relatively small and reputations matter, but occasionally I run across a "colleague" who is threatening or rude, and one time, a guy even deliberately (it seemed to me) spilled coffee all over my file.

I can think of all sorts of situations I run across every day where people are less than civil, also. Dumping garbage in my neighborhood, loudly talking at theaters during movies, flipping other people off on the freeway. I guess we can only change ourselves, however.

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Use your horn to promote safe driving