Originally published at: Driver installs train horn in his Miata, possibly saving his life from an idiot driver | Boing Boing
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I’d think that, as convertibles, Miatas would be hard to drive underwater.
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Ooh, is this becoming a thing now? Or is it the same guy?
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Factory Miatas have underpowered horns. Installing a louder one is a common mod, though generally not THAT loud. 
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Same guy
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Dude was asking for trouble continually cruising in the SUV’s blind spot…
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I ride a recumbent bicycle. I need this horn.
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Seriously-- he’s in a low-slung, tiny car right in the opposing car’s blind spot. Traffic permitting, get the hell out of there! (@babVU98i – I agree)
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I think that may be his MO. Hang out in the blind spot and wait for the other driver to attempt a lane change. Blast them with the train horn. Post on social media. Repeat.
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I’m guessing that there’s no switch to downgrade when he just needs a light toot in a parking lot?
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Oh FFS. A regular horn would have worked.
There was a time when I thought it would be cool to have a truck or train air horn in my little 80’s era Corolla - but then I realized that people would hear the distinctive horn and look for a truck or a train rather than for my little car. Plus such a horn could cause hearing damage to pedestrians in close proximity.
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It would still be nice to have one for my bicycle.
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I know, right? First rule of owning & driving a tiny car like this (and I have one), or a motorcycle for that matter, is to assume everyone around you cannot see you.
He should know better than to just cruise along with traffic like it’s some kind of collective Sunday drive. Especially in this day and age, where vehicles are much larger. The SUV literally may not have seen him, after checking their mirrors.
Methinks he’s maybe getting too soft with his big horn. But …
Is it really fair to require large-vehicle drivers to check below their field of view? It actually raises an interesting issue here. Let’s face it, small cars like these are an anomaly. Drivers are not used to a lot of these daily, thus are not trained to look for them. Is it fair to re-educate the entire populace to look for tiny cars, when it’s really not part of the norm?
Motorcycle riders know better than any of this, and just stay out of everyone’s way. Small car drivers should think the same way.
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They should also be looking for small children.
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If the driver can’t operate their vehicle safely, they shouldn’t be on the road. No one’s forcing them to buy or drive a vehicle larger than they can handle.
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It sounds like you’re trying to blame the victim. If an SUV hits a smaller car because the driver of the SUV failed to properly check for cars around them, the driver of the SUV is at fault (assuming no shenanigans on the part of the other driver, of course).
Even the most defensive driver of a small car will eventually, through no fault of their own, find themselves in another car’s blind spot. So yes, drivers of every type of vehicle need to be trained to look out for any other type of vehicle. That’s why driving is a privilege, not a right: licenses should only be awarded to those who demonstrate the ability to drive their vehicle safely. That means the ability to adjust mirrors to minimize blind spots, and to physically look when you’re unsure.
That said, the Miata driver was passing on the right, which is a no-no, and bears at least some responsibility if this had resulted in an accident.
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If you choose to drive a f’ing tank, then yeah, it’s not just “fair” but, you know, a necessity.
The real question is whether it’s fair that large SUVs are legal in the first place.
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That is exactly correct. Looks like he’s wanting to get in situations where he can blow his horn.
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SUV mirrors can be adjusted to provide a very wide view. In driver’s ed I was taught to also check over your shoulder and not rely 100% on mirrors. That said, if both drivers would practice safe driving with full awareness of others, then there wouldn’t be a potential collision. The Miata should’ve either backed off or zoomed ahead after the horn, in order to make itself more visible, not continued to hang out in the blind spot, baiting the SUV into another dangerous attempted lane change.
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