Cross-cultural study on vehicle horn use as a communication tool for drivers

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25560005
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Design science
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: TAKADA MASAYUKI 九州大学, 芸術工学研究科(研究院), 助教 (40315156)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 警笛 / ドライバー / 歩行者 / 音環境 / 社会調査 / デザイン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We have previously carried out questionnaire surveys to investigate the current state of vehicle horn use in Japan. Several cities in other countries also face noise problems relating to the use of horns. Our survey design will provide information on the reasons for vehicle horn use in such areas, which can subsequently be used to design countermeasures to reduce any adverse effects. Therefore, similar surveys were conducted to investigate the current state and driver awareness of vehicle horn use in urban areas of South Korea.
Noise measurements at the roadside of a crossroad in Seoul revealed that drivers frequently used their horns in urban South Korea. The totaled results of questionnaire surveys show that when honked at, pedestrians had a more negative psychological reaction than drivers. The cross tabulation also showed that drivers who did not usually use horns did use a brief honk for the purpose of alerting another to danger and gaining another's attention through necessity.

Free Research Field

音響環境学