Horn Free Day: NGO advocates stiff penalty against abuse of horn

Sanity on Wheels Awareness Initiative, a Non-Governmental Organisation, has called for stiff penalty against indiscriminate use of horn by motorists in the country.

The NGO made the call in a statement to commemorate October 15 as the “World Horn Free Day”.

The Coordinator of the NGO, Edwin Okafor, said the existing law on abuse of horn should also be enforced.

Former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, in October 2014 described World Horn Free Day as a step toward sensitising residents about the harmful effects of noise pollution.

According to Okafor, the horn is a component of an automobile installed specifically to inform or warn other road users of the presence of the automobile in order not to obstruct movement.

Okafor said: “Some drivers are fond of honking their horns as a means of claiming or enforcing right of the way.

“The truth is that horn does not in any way confer special privilege, right or ownership of the road. it is just to inform other road users of your presence.

“Drivers of trailers, tankers, trucks, because of the size, strength and structure of the vehicles tend to intimidate other road users with horn which can make an amateur driver to crash.”

The NGO coordinator called for an end to the abuse of horn to reduce the growing rate of road crashes worldwide in line with the United Nations Declaration of Decade of Action on Road Safety 2001- 2020.

Okafor said some commercial drivers abused the horn by using it to beckon on passengers, getting gate man’s attention, horn to either greet or respond to greetings or as musical instruments.

He accused drivers of bullion vans as well as those chauffeuring VIPs of abusing the horn and sirens with impunity, polluting the environment and harming road users and vehicles in the process.

Okafor called for urgent and sustained public enlightenment campaign to educate the populace on the need to avoid the abuse of horn.

The coordinator called for stiff punishment of offenders to dissuade others and maintain sanity on the roads.