Driver installs train horn in his Miata, possibly saving his life from an idiot driver

That would be a nice addition to my motorcycle

I see a mirror on both sides of the car. So, unless it was improperly set up, he wasn’t in a blind spot.

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I’ve outfitted my motorcycle (a BMW R80ST) with a Denali Soundbomb compact air horn. It’s quite loud and works very well to get the attention of other drivers. I really like the fact that it starts producing sound very quickly; some air horns have separate compressor and horn components, so they take a while to fill up the intervening air line.

FWIW, I also have a headlight modulator, large turn signals and brake lights, etc. Regardless, I ride with the assumption that I’m pretty much invisible. I highly recommend Ryan F9’s video on the topic: Invisibility Training for Motorcyclists.

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I live here. Ryan is great and his videos are chock full of good advice.

Indeed. I drove Lotuses for many years, which are smaller and lower than a Miata. Basically invisible on the road. Staying out of peoples’ blind spots and use of the regular horn when needed is all that was required to go 15 years without so much as a close call like this (in Los Angeles, no less, where the streets are Thunderdome every day).

But, I didn’t get any social media viral hits for regular old defensive driving. So there you go, I guess.

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Point Reaction GIF by Kathryn Dean

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With properly adjusted mirrors there should not be anything below the field of view. Problem is, the vast majority of drivers do not have their mirrors set to show the whole field. Most side mirrors are just showing the side of the car and leaving a big blind spot. Look in your center mirror and adjust the side mirrors so they pick up where the center mirror leaves off.

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He’s doing it for the LULZ. The girls at the end of his build/demo video are frightened by the loud noise and you can hear one shout “WHY?” just as the video ends. And he was not nice to the waterfowl either.

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Except that he wasn’t in the SUV driver’s blind spot. Now, if he had been directly alongside the SUV the whole time, that would be different.

Presuming they checked their mirrors in the first place.
If the SUV driver had been checking their mirrors, they would have known the Miata was there the whole time, and wouldn’t have made that sudden lane change.
This is a situational awareness failure on the SUV driver’s behalf.
Note also that the SUV driver signaled the lane change at the same time as the lane change, and we all know that is not how it’s done.

I’m pretty sure you would be happy to know that big-rig drivers do that routinely. It’s not difficult. If you are driving a large pick-up or SUV, you damn sure better be checking below your field of view, because you must share the road with smaller vehicles, including motorcycles.

People don’t fucking look… they don’t use their passenger-side mirror and/or don’t have it adjusted correctly. ‘Training’ has nothing to do with it; laziness does.

No, just those that want to operate a motor vehicle. If you aren’t aware of your surroundings while driving, then you are a danger to others.

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In Ontario:

Are trucker air horns or ultra-loud “train horns” legal if installed on your car?

Unnecessary noise is prohibited under S. 75 (4) of the Highway Traffic Act. This includes sounding a car horn that makes “unreasonable” noise, with enforcement at police discretion and subject to court interpretation.

A train horn sounded from a vehicle, because of the excessive volume (that means above the 130-decibel pain threshold, capable of causing permanent hearing loss to others) will likely earn you a ticket anytime, anywhere.

For an air horn or factory car horn, their lawfully intended purpose is to use them only as reasonably needed for safety. Repeatedly honking for no apparent reason will draw police attention and public ire.

Even with rear-view mirrors on both sides of the car, most cars still have a blind that you can’t see unless you turn your head and glance. Some cars have a second convex mirror which does give you field of vision into the blind spot, but they are generally so small that they’re hard to use and very few people use them anyway.

Besides, for defensive driving you should assume the worst out of other drivers, even if it is ultimately their fault.

Mine don’t. But I also made sure to set them up so their blind spot happen to be in my peripheral vision.

(I also have the best kind of defensive driving: Whatever happens to my car, I’m not going to be the one paying for the next one)

Are you aware of the Airzound?

Oh yeah, I think someone I ride with (uprights, in the hood) has one of these!

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