Remote keyless entry honking, convenience horn honking, and audible car alarms: Redundancies and quieter options

Abstract

Vehicle sound emissions, car alarms, and horn honking are the subject of many noise complaints. Auto manufacturers spent years engineering quieter vehicles, and have created cars whose approach is so subtle that they pose a danger to blind pedestrians. But while engine noise has decreased and car alarms are less reactive, horn honking that is linked with remote keyless entry (RKE) technology increasingly contributes to community noise. RKE horn noise has never been the subject of public health inquiry. In scientific literature, discussion of road noise and health does not distinguish noise among separate sources, and tends to measure aggregate ambient noise levels rather than impulsive noise. RKE horn noise violates state traffic laws and some local noise ordinances regarding horn use, but there have been no legislative attempts to address the technology. This raises questions about whether political leaders and policy setters are not exposed to RKE noise or do not discern RKE sounds from traffic noise, and are therefore unaware of it. Using available auto industry data and case studies, this paper will introduce key facts about RKE horn use in the United States and Canada, reviewing new technologies that render noisy counterparts still in use as redundant.