Ascending a ramp in the office building garage as I normally do in the morning, I was following behind another car by 80 feet or so. My headlights were on, unlike the car ahead. After the lead car passed a certain point, one of the cars parked on the side started backing up into my path. Apparently, that driver only saw the lead car that had passed. In the fraction of a second I had to react, I stabbed my thumb near the spoke of the steering wheel. Instead of sounding the horn, the car changed out of AUX into FM1! Luckily, the driver backing up realized the gravity of the situation and braked before a collision. In every car that I've owned in the 30 years before Prius, my stab at the steering wheel would have sounded the horn. Toyota decided to clutter the steering wheel with miscellaneous controls that used to be only on the console. Furthermore, a scan of the owner's manual after this incident turned up nothing about the horn activation in spite of countless yellow safety boxes. Am I the only who thinks this is flawed design? Has convenience become more important than safety? Even if we can recondition our reflexes to activate the horn by moving a hand off the steering wheel to the center, this small delay could be the difference between collision or avoidance.
No, I don't believe it's "flawed design." It's simply something you're not used to. There is no standard or expected location for a car horn "button" on the steering wheel that I'm aware of. It can be to the side, in the middle, etc. At some point, it becomes the driver's responsibility to know and familiarize themselves with where the controls are, including the car horn, so that they can operate the vehicle safely. Chances are, if you didn't have time to locate the control for the horn in that emergency situation, it would be too late, anyway. The other driver still has to hear your horn, evaluate the situation, and then react to it. When I have near misses, I don't even bother with the horn because I believe I'll receive a greater benefit by focusing my attention on avoiding the accident. My $0.02.
I recall quite a number of flawed designs in the past from other vehicles, placing horn buttons in various clumsy locations. Prius isn't like that. Instead, you just give the center of the steering a whack. It's so big of a button you cannot possibly ever miss hitting it. None of this tiny button nonsense. Just hit the area over the driver's airbag.
For sure, your perspective depends on what you are used to. I could never find the little horn button on my Honda Civic, and my reflex to hit the center of the steering wheel was useless. So for me, the Prius is back to the future
Cars are successful consumer item partly because the basic user interface is mostly the same across all automobiles and large spans of time. Once you learn to drive one, you don't need to relearn the basic user interface to drive another. At one time, the only control on the steering wheel was the horn activator. This is arguably the most important control. Good design demands that it be the easiest to locate in an emergency. That's the reason that all my previous cars have put the activator near the steering wheel rim: It can be activated without moving a hand off the rim thereby saving vital time. The lack of horn activation documentation in the user's manual is a serious omission at the least. What if you are stopped at a traffic light? There are cars front, left, and rear. A car pulls out of a driveway quickly and straight toward you. Your only chance to avoid a collision is to activate the horn quickly. You've only had your new car a couple of weeks. Crunch! Does your argument still hold water? When your insurance company asks you afterward, "Did you sound the horn?", what would you tell them?
I've never had the problem because I've never used the horn, except once to hear what it sounded like. I thought it was a little whimpy. Edit: Although it has nothing to do with the location of the button, I think there is a post here somewhere that tells how to change the horns themselves if you want something that sounds a little better.
In my Audi, I can activate the horn by pressing anywhere near the spokes or the large center area. It's not a small button.
I'm sorry this piece of highly technical equipment requires instruction. I was under the mistaken impression that if I press that large black area in the middle of the steering wheel I'd get loud noises. Apparently I'll need to go to Horn School to learn about activating this highly technical but vital piece of safety equipment. Or maybe I'll put the little thumb-driven bell on the steering wheel like my daughter's bicycle has. Makes a cheerful "ding-ding" noise that can warn other drivers of my approach. Hafta remember to roll down the windows first, though...
At one time in the '70's Lincolns had the horn in the round steering wheel. you just maintained your grip and squeezed. I liked that.
Sorry pet peeve. A near miss is in fact a collision. When you almost hit someone that is a near collison.
I had to look a bit for the horn, then I saw the little horn symbol. Differtent from my last car. My 1967 Mercedes had a separate horn ring. Worked great until one side had a short. Then it would honk whenever I turned left.
I sympathize fully, tessar, and I think the sarcasm in a previous post is uncalled-for. For starters, every item of driver-operated factory equipment on any car should be included in any owners' manual. Period. I don't have my '04 manual here to check (wife's driving), but I can't believe it's omitted. Second, in my 48 years of driving the horn has been the most important piece of safety equipment on my various vehicles several times. The number of accidents averted must number at least a dozen. Mostly from back-up situations. Third, the first thing I learn how to use whenever I get a new car is the horn. The one time I didn't I had an incident like yours. While I don't agree that the placement of auxiliary controls on the steering wheel is a clutter, I do agree that the placement of the horn activation area on the hub is not necessarily intuitive. I've had cars where there were only two horn buttons, designed to be thumb-activated, just inboard from the wheel itself. Other activators have been located on the spokes of the wheel, but not the exact center. Live and learn. Glad there was no accident.
It is your responsibility to know how to operate your car. Preferably before you start driving it. The Prius horn location is not small, hidden, or a problem of any kind. I've driven cars with hard to find or operate horns, and the Prius isn't anywhere near that category.
"Second, in my 48 years of driving the horn has been the most important piece of safety equipment on my various vehicles several times." I was taught 33 years ago that the LEAST important piece of safety equipment on a vehicle is the horn... driving safely means not having to use it.
I drove professionally for 26+ years and learned to pre-trip any vehicle new to me. This included testing the horn as well as other safety equipment on the vehicle. The horn is "key" in situations when seeing or being seen by the other vehicle is imperative for defensive driving.
This reminds me of that case of the woman who sued because her coffee scalded her. The fast food chain lost (unbelieveable) and as a result their cups now say HOT HOT HOT on them in addition to paying millions to the woman. :huh: I really do not agree with anyone not knowing where the horn is activated. It is SO obvious. No one shouldn't drive without knowing such a basic requirement. Now if I were really sarcastic I would forward a brochure for "Touch-Tone School" to operate a phone. Really......get a life. In my opinion you are the one responsible for knowing where your horn is activated. Stop blaming others. This is exactly what is wrong with our society today and why we won't begin to get out from under our litigious habits until we start taking responsibility for OUR OWN actions. argh
I just have to add a different perspective. After living for 2 years in Japan and working in their auto industry, I know why Japanese car horns are so different from American and others. They are intentionally made to sound wimpy or otherwise unappealing. They do not want to encourage people to use them. In Japan, it is considered impolite to use the horn and distrub other people unnecessarily, not to mention the belief that a good driver should never need it. Now China's another story - I swear the carmakers must increased the durability of horns on cars sold there in order for them to survive. Passing - HORN - being passed - HORN - changing lanes - HORN - sitting in gridlock - HORN - driving completely alone on a straight stretch of highway - HORN ...
Once again I must point out that the woman who was HOSPITALIZED and required SKIN GRAFTS as a result of UNSAFELY HOT coffee was right to sue McDonalds. And they did not pay "millions" to the woman. As pointed out in another thread on PriusChat just days ago: Before getting too "heated up" over the woman who was burned by hot McDonalds coffee, consider that she required a 7-day hospital stay and skin grafts as a result, and that the Jury only fined McDonalds a dollar amount equivalent to two days of coffee sales. Web sites: McDonalds coffee and the Liebeck lawsuit http://www.osmond-riba.org/lis/essay_mcdonalds.htm McFacts abut the McDonalds Coffee Lawsuit http://lawandhelp.com/q298-2.htm McDonalds Hot Coffee Lawsuit and Beyond http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0122-11.htm
I remember when Ford ( I think it was a Ford Fairmont or the Mercury equivalent) used to put the horn on the blinker arm on a small few of their cars. Yes, blinker arm. You had to push the end of the of the blinker to get the horn to work. Talk about a true design flaw... I think you simply need to look more closely at your steering wheel. I've been extremely satisfied with the various buttons on the steering wheel. Jason
What bobr1 fails to remind us is the woman placed the cup between her legs while driving. Who here wouldn't think that there was a reasonable chance of that HOT HOT HOT drink of spilling on herself? So who here still thinks it was a good call?
