Mumbai holds 'No Honking Day'

A trip through India's city of Mumbai for any tourist is often a cacophony of noise - especially on the road, where horns are used liberally to say the least. Over 1.5 million vehicles crowd the streets of Mumbai each day, ranging from bicycles, rickshaws, semi-trailers and hatchbacks, and just about every one of these will have a well-worn horn.

The reason behind the honking is because nobody uses the turn signals on their car when merging lanes or turning. This, combined with the numerous animals found roaming the streets (including dogs, cows, camels and elephants) means that the horn is the best way of letting someone – or something – know where you are.

But visitors and residents of Mumbai may be greeted by an eerie silence today if Mumbai’s traffic police have their way. Officials are organizing a 'no honking day' to coincide with today's World Health Day in the hope that it will bring attention to the effect of noise pollution on a person's health.

Around 2,000 volunteers will stand around Mumbai with placards reminding drivers not to use their horns unnecessarily, while police crackdown on illegal novelty horns and reverse horns. Reports the Associated Press.

Driving schools have also been told not to teach their students to use their horns so prolifically and the message has been spread throughout Mumbai about the rather strange 'no honking day' so that as many drivers as possible will take part.