Very often you might wish to get another driver's attention, for instance, when the light turns green and the person ahead of you doesn't realize it due to distraction, or in order to ask for directions, but it is not a panic situation. In the latter, the full-on horn blast is probably the best thing, but what about the former? I suggest a second "courtesy horn", one which by nature of its volume and tone communicates not that you are angry or panicked, but just want to politely draw another driver's attention to the fact that the light has turned green, or, whatever. This may cut down on people flipping the bird, road rage, and generally make driving more civilized.
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Great minds think alike indeed. Sorry did not see this before I posted mine. I think Courtesy Horn is a much better name.
Most tri-spoke steering wheels already have 2-buttons for the horn - on the left & right ends. Perhaps one of these buttons could be turned into a coutesy horn.
Extending that thought - in panic-ridden situations (e.g. trying to avoid a vehicle), most drivers tend to blare the car horn. Perhaps a short press of the button could indicate that its a Courtesy Horn, whereas a long press would indicate the normal "macho" sound.
What happened to two little beeps? That pretty much does the same thing as a courtesy horn. "Beep beep, excuse me, the green arrow for the left turn is illuminated. Please move forward!"
A modification: in the same way that typing :) after a sentence changes its meaning, turning on a green smiley-face signal mounted on the front and back of your car, after beeping your horn, would convert the horn beep into a courtesy horn beep. No matter what the length of the beep used. Disadvantage: it requires someone to look at your car so it wouldn't work for blind drivers. If you run into a blind driver, I suggest 3 long blares on the horn.
Saw this on Gentle Horn also - and posted this: Saw this the other day and liked it - then saw the following on TV Tonight. The "Hey Horn" can be viewed at http://www.motormate.com and appears to be along these lines although this one is pretty limited. SS
Also, with road rage almost a fad, something like this is imperative in certain parts of the country. In Dallas, Texas, we've had 1 or 2 documented cases of shootings in road rage instances where someone was upset that they were honked at, one I am sure about.