Driver's vehicle horn use and its effects on other drivers and pedestrians: A case study in South Korea

In previous studies, questionnaire surveys were used to investigate the current circumstances of vehicle horn use and its effects on drivers and pedestrians in Japan. Several cities in other countries face more serious noise problems related to the use of car and motorbike horns. In urban areas of South Korea, frequent vehicle horn use on roads was found through onsite inspections. Measurements of noise at crossroads with heavy traffic revealed frequent horn use with high sound pressure level. In such areas, it is necessary to clarify the current circumstances of vehicle horn use, including its effects. Therefore, a survey on such use, similar to the previous work, was carried out. The survey included questions on the latest or last-remembered case of horn use in various situations in which the respondent was a driver or pedestrian. It was found that many pedestrians had experiences of being honked at by a single honk, two short honks and a long honk. Such honking mostly aroused negative psychological reactions such as feeling startled, a sensation of noisiness and feeling irritated. There were no significant relationships between questionnaire items regarding the driver's own horn use, suggesting there is no particular manner of such use. Relationships between driver awareness of their own horn use and its mode suggested that drivers who did not usually honk had feelings of reluctance to use the horn, and that they briefly honked out of necessity.