Careful When Honking That Horn!

Did you know that honking at certain times and certain places could land you with a huge fine?

12:22 06 February 2017

A recent poll has found that the majority of motorists are not familiar with the rules around horn use. For example, many are not aware that honking in stationary traffic could lead to a £1,000 fine. According to the Highway Code, drivers should only use their horn when their car is moving and they need to warn others of their presence. It also states that drivers must not sound their horn aggressively as it is not a tool to alarm others without viable and reasonable intention.

 

Probably, the most crucial rule is knowing that it is illegal to sound your horn while driving in a built-up area between 11.30pm and 7am. 

 

Chief operating officer of Warranty Direct, Philip Ward, said: "Our latest survey reveals there is a strong need for UK drivers to brush up on their knowledge of driving laws.

 

"The results suggest many mistakes made could be down to not knowing the appropriate laws, which can be easily rectified.

 

"We recommend any unsure drivers to re-read a copy of the Highway Code to avoid causing any dangerous situations when out on the road."

 

Do You Have Misophonia?

 

Scientists have found that people who find the sounds of chewing or breathing unbearable could be suffering from brain abnormality.

 

Misophonia, which refers to an extreme sensitivity to specific sounds such as chewing, could be a sign of a brain abnormality, scientists have claimed. People with misophonia could respond with an intense “fight or flight” reaction when they are triggered by specific sounds.

 

Researchers at Newcastle University have found a difference in the frontal lobe in misophonia sufferers suggesting it is a genuine condition. Writing in the journal Current Biology, they found that when triggered by specific sounds, the patients’ brain activity changes.

 

Dr Sukhbinder Kumar, from the Institute of Neuroscience at Newcastle University, said: "For many people with misophonia, this will come as welcome news as for the first time we have demonstrated a difference in brain structure and function in sufferers.

 

"This study demonstrates the critical brain changes as further evidence to convince a sceptical medical community that this is a genuine disorder."

 

Tim Griffiths, Professor of Cognitive Neurology at Newcastle University and UCL, said: "I hope this will reassure sufferers.

 

"I was part of the sceptical community myself until we saw patients in the clinic and understood how strikingly similar the features are."