KOMO reports: “Police experimented with a new tactic Friday night as they responded to a weeklong Occupy Seattle demonstration at Westlake Park—ticketing drivers who honked in support of protesters. Starting at 11 p.m. Friday, police started pulling over and ticketing drivers who honked as they drove past protesters.”

Lots of people are honking as they drive by today and police aren’t handing the $144 tickets. So it’s apparently just a nighttime thing.

15 replies on “SPD Tickets Drivers Who Honk in Support”

  4. I was there last night – not protesting, just drunkenly stumbling through on my way back to the light rail station.

    Indeed, they were ticketing people who honked – a couple protesters had put up a sign warning drivers not to honk, which I thought was considerate.

    There were some guys (and maybe a girl?) in black with anarchist symbols everywhere on their bodies, holding signs up about the war in afghanistan. I flashed my dog tags and let them know I killed babies for a living, and wished them a pleasant evening.

  5. There’s a law agains “unecessary” honking. I can’t remember if it’s a city, county, or state law. I read about it a few years ago. Sounds like one of our “civility” laws (like the old law against spitting on the sidewalk). Sounds like a pathetic excuse to allow the police to intrude our lives. There should at least be an exemption for something like this, a large public gathering in a stretch with few if any residents who would be disturbed by the honking.

  7. @3, honking’s limited to emergency use only. The purpose was to try to keep cars from honking at walkers, bicyclists and slower vehicles just to say, “get out of my way” or “hurry up”. I like it like that.

    The story says it was two cab drivers ticketed only. To the extent that might be because cops try harder to keep cabbies from developing the habit of honking, I can’t say I mind. So long as the cops aren’t using it to silence supporters generally.

  10. I think it’s an unfortunate application of the law, this is a special time socially.

    BUT, has anyone been to Central America, specifically Nicaragua and Costa Rica? I think to pass their driving test you have to honk at least 1000000 times during your test. I’ve never heard so much honking from traffic before.

    I am unsure if in 2011 we need such a law to mold social/civil use of the automobile horn.

  13. @10: When I was in Nicaragua my roommates got a car (god help them). They were studiously advised in their driver’s ed class to honk every time they pass a bike or ped. Considering how many bikes or peds there are in Central America…well, you saw the results.

    I think Mexican drivers honk when they brake. Not sure about that, though.

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