Washington State Law;
RCW 46.37.380
Horns, warning devices, and theft alarms.
(1) Every motor vehicle when operated upon a highway shall be equipped with a horn in good working order and capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than two hundred feet, but no horn or other warning device may emit an unreasonably loud or harsh sound or a whistle. The driver of a motor vehicle shall when reasonably necessary to insure safe operation give audible warning with his or her horn but shall not otherwise use such horn when upon a highway.
(2) No vehicle may be equipped with nor may any person use upon a vehicle any siren, whistle, or bell, except as otherwise permitted in this section.
(3) It is permissible for any vehicle to be equipped with a theft alarm signal device so long as it is so arranged that it cannot be used by the driver as an ordinary warning signal. Such a theft alarm signal device may use a whistle, bell, horn, or other audible signal but shall not use a siren.
(4) Any authorized emergency vehicle may be equipped with a siren, whistle, or bell capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than five hundred feet and of a type conforming to rules adopted by the state patrol, but the siren shall not be used except when the vehicle is operated in response to an emergency call or in the immediate pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law, in which latter events the driver of the vehicle shall sound the siren when reasonably necessary to warn pedestrians and other drivers of its approach.
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2010 c 8 § 9052; 1987 c 330 § 720; 1986 c 113 § 3; 1977 ex.s. c 355 § 32; 1961 c 12 § 46.37.380. Prior:
1955 c 269 § 38; prior:
1937 c 189 § 35; RRS § 6360-35; RCW
46.36.040
And below is a news article;
The light turns green, the head is down, and you realize the driver in front of you is on a cell phone.
How long should you wait before hitting the horn? Is it two short beeps or one long blast?
Officially, it’s illegal to use your horn. Washington State Trooper Chris Webb says the horn,
by law, is to be used for emergencies only.
“You’re supposed to just use it for safety reasons,” he said. “Someone veering into the lane, somebody coming toward you, something to signal that person that there’s an issue here and to warn them.”
Trooper Webb said very few officers will ding you for it, but it’s still illegal.
“I can’t say I’ve ever written up a person for it,” he said. “I don’t know many troopers that have, but it is a law that’s still out there and still functioning.”
And if Trooper Webb was stuck behind someone not paying attention at a stop light?
“I would not recommend it unless it’s an emergency situation … but a nice little tap (on the horn) would probably be better than a big (honk),” he said.
Deborah King, president and founder of
Final Touch Finishing School, clarified which is appropriate – the little toot or the blast.
“A quick toot is a polite way,” she said. “To blast your horn longer, I think, is a rude reaction to a rude act.”
So how long should I wait before hitting the horn — one second, two seconds, five seconds?
“I think a couple of seconds is sufficient,” King said. “Anything longer than that, when you’re sitting there and you’re waiting and waiting, seems like an eternity.”
Now you know. A quick toot of the horn after a couple seconds is appropriate, though it is still against the law.
