The Operations officer of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service, Mr. Sulemana Sulley, has said it is unlawful for drivers to honk unnecessarily while driving.
According to regulation 74 sub regulation (1) of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012, L.I 2180, the horn or siren in cars was to give single note of sound in cases where necessary otherwise its prolong use causes nuisance .
He said regulation 110, sub regulation (3) also stated specifically that "A person shall not operate or permit to be operated on a road, a motor vehicle in a manner to cause excessive noise that can be avoided."
With regard to this, he said it was clear that most drivers, especially taxi drivers, were not to continually blow their horns while driving.
Mr. Sulemana said in order to avoid such offence and similar offences by drivers, the MTTU occasionally organises educational programmes for selected drivers from various transport unions.
"When drivers fall foul of the law, after having been educated, then the law is enforced. Warning letters are therefore, issued. In situations where a driver is found committing the same offence over again, the one is arrested and put before court," he said.
He said incessant blowing of the car horn could scare pedestrians who in the process of crossing the road could run into the path of an oncoming vehicle or fall on the road resulting in an accident.
Mr. Agyare, a taxi driver at the Odorna taxi station, said although it was agreed that the practice of blowing the car horn unnecessarily was bad, taxi drivers engaged in it to draw the attention of passers-by.
He explained further that they did it so to also alert other drivers, who attempted to veer into their path from an adjoining road.
When his attention was drawn to the fact that some drivers even blew their horns unnecessarily in heavy traffic jams, Mr. Agyare agreed that it was not the best thing to do, but said such drivers were overly enthusiastic in the job and needed to change their ways.
At Odorna in Adabraka, a suburb of Accra, a store keeper and a pedestrian both said excessive honking by drivers caused fright and confusion and that in some instances they had to correct such drivers.
