It`s no wonder people are confused about the legality of having a loud air horn or traction horn on your ride. It can be dug a bit on the internet to see what the current law says and how it seems to be paved with misinformation. When we did the research for this blog, we realized that there wasn`t really a good resource to see what the horn laws are in your state, so we made one! To see the most recent laws we can find for each state, click HERE or click on the image below. While owning and installing a spare air horn or train horn is not illegal, some states have regular inspections that your vehicle must pass. In some of these inspections, connecting a train horn to your ride or, in some cases, wiring as a single horn will prevent you from passing the inspection. If you are in a state where you cannot have spare horns, there is no way around it. For inspection, you will not be able to put them on. If you`re in a state where it`s just necessary to be wired separately, you`re done, just make sure you`ve set up your system with a separate toggle switch or push button so you can continue to use your factory horn. Anger in traffic is one of the main reasons why people use their horns incorrectly, and this type of behavior is a danger in itself. The debate began when Victoria Police answered the question: “No. A driver can only warn others with his horns.
If you use your horn or other warning device for other purposes, you could be fined $161. Speaking of course, did you know that you are legally required to have a horn, and in most states it must be heard at least 200 feet away? That`s right, it`s actually illegal to have a weak horn. What for? Because horns are an integral part of road safety. People who like to complain and rave about noise pollution forget that the roads themselves are noisy by nature and the cab of vehicles is becoming more and more soundproofed and drivers are getting more and more distracted, you need a horn that can cut through the noise. Car horns are designed to alert other road users of your presence in case of an emergency and animals on the road. While it may be tempting to honk to inform the driver that the lights have changed, this is actually illegal and could penalize you. If you`ve taken a look at our state laws related above, you may notice a common theme in most horn laws in each state. Does it not seem that they have written off each other`s work? Some laws are exactly the same word for word, while others have different formulations, but they all say exactly the same thing. Let`s take an example of the state of Georgia that has two main components seen in almost every state law: Georgia Code 40-8-70: “Horns and warning devices – (a) Any motor vehicle traveling on a highway must be equipped with a horn in good condition and be able to emit audible sound at a distance of at least 200 feet under normal conditions. But no horn or other warning device can emit an inappropriate sound or whistle loud or loud. The driver of a motor vehicle shall, where reasonably necessary to ensure safe driving, give an audible warning device with his horn, but shall not use it elsewhere on a motorway. No vehicle may be equipped with a siren, whistle or bell, or a person may use a siren, whistle or bell on a vehicle, except as permitted in this section of the Code and in section 40-8-94.
No vehicle shall be equipped with an anti-theft warning device so that it can be used by the driver as an ordinary warning signal. There are two important lines to consider here. The first, “Every motor vehicle operating on a highway must be equipped with a horn in good condition and be capable of emitting an audible sound at a distance of at least 200 feet under normal conditions, but no horn or other warning device shall emit an unreasonably loud or loud sound or whistle. Is where the meat and potatoes of the law are located, especially the line regarding “no horn or other warning device can emit a noise or pipe unreasonably loud or hard” Although there are specific parameters for the minimum distance from which your horn can be heard, with regard to the maximum distance, be heard at the maximum volume or volume. It seems that this is determined by the agent. While some may argue that any horn has an “unreasonably loud” or harsh sound, in our experience, this will depend on where it was used and how you use it. Are you on the highway using your horn to avoid an accident, or are you blowing into the suburbs at three in the morning? Even a train horn on a busy highway may not seem “unreasonable” to most law enforcement officials, but if they receive noise complaints because you`re showing your new horns to your local Walmart, they have no choice but to investigate and punish you. Another common theme of horn laws in the United States is the line: “The driver of a motor vehicle, if it is reasonably necessary to ensure safe operation, must acoustically warn with his horn, but must not use this horn elsewhere when on a highway.” This section contains two important points that you should keep in mind.