We’ve always wondered, why there is a “horn ok please” slogan written on the back of heavy vehicles especially trucks,even though it is not grammatically correct!!It is a popular fixture on all trucks most of them are customized. There is no concrete theory behind its origin. Let’s have a look at some of the theories which might have made the ‘Horn OK Please’ logo popular. 

• Meaning
• Different meanings of ‘Ok’.
• Safety measures.
• Why ‘Horn Ok Please’ is not ‘OK’ anymore.
• Conclusion

Meaning-

‘Horn please’ and ‘ok’ are two different phrases.The genesis of this slogan is unknown. Though there is no official notification concerning Indian traffic regulations & no such rule which mandates the vehicle to use such slogan on a vehicle.

Horn Please means please blow the horn or do not overtake without blowing the horn. As per typical Indian culture ‘Please’ is added as a request and considered ethical.

Ok,there are several meanings of ok. One such meaning is when the vehicle behind the truck asks by blowing its horn if it’s ok to overtake the truck.

During earlier times when the truck drivers didn’t have side mirrors, they honked their trucks and gave the signal that it is okay to overtake.

That signal is considered as ‘ok’. This is explained by Kenneth Rapoza’s piece published in Forbes.

Different meanings of “Ok”

On Kerosene

There were two thingsat the time of World War II,

1. Truck drivers used to mix diesel and kerosene to save money on gas so, On Kerosene (O.K.)warns the drivers behind the truck to maintain distance.
2. One more theory says that during World War II to transport flammable liquids like kerosene trucks were used.The presence of the ‘OK’ sign in these vehicles meant ‘On Kerosene’. It warned rear vehicles to maintain sufficient braking distance, as even a minor collision would lead to a massive explosion of automobiles.

Advertisement of a Popular Detergent

1. In the first half of the 20th centuryTATA Group launched the detergent soap by the name OK
2. The manufacturer thought of advertising and promoting their product at the rear end of trucks along with the lotus symbol/logo for maximum visibility.
3. The trend continued for a long time, creating the lotus flower with the ‘OK’ symbol.

Other

As discussed above, when the vehicle behind the truck asks by blowing its horn if it’s ok to overtake the truck.

During earlier times when the truck drivers didn’t have side mirrors, they honked their trucks and gave the signal that it is okay to overtake.

That signal is considered as ‘ok’. This is explained by Kenneth Rapoza’s piece published in Forbes.

Safety Measures

In earlier times, there were single-lane highways in India so it was difficult to overtake large/heavy vehicles like trucks, and hence the ‘Horn Ok Please’ slogan was used on the back of the trucks.

It was pretty understandable to smaller automobiles that it was fine to honk before overtaking. When the rear driver honked, the truck driver used to check if there were oncoming traffic and give a signal.

Why is ‘Horn OK Please’ not OK anymore?

Things have changed now. The city roads and highways of India now have four to six lanes, so it is unnecessary to use the ‘Horn OK Please’ slogan. On April 30, 2015, the Government of Maharashtra outlawed the use of this symbol at the rear end of vehicles to diminish the noise pollution considerably. Bal Malkit Singh, the former president of the All India Motor Transport Congress, welcomed the move keeping in mind the wider and multi-lane highways of modern India. 

The order was an effort to address the issue of excessive honking on Indian streets. This was based on a delusion that the phrase is accountable for noise pollution.

A circular from the Maharashtra Transport Commissioner’s office stated that ‘Horn OK Please’ is responsible for violating the Maharashtra Motor Vehicle Act, 1989. The circular also said that the phrase encourages drivers to honk while passing a truck or lorry, contributing to noise pollution. Hence, ‘Horn OK Please’ is not ‘OK’ anymore, at least not in the state of Maharashtra. But, do you think that banning heavy vehicles from using this phrase will reduce noise pollution?

Conclusion

I will definitely agree with what the Maharashtra govt. did, it may not be the prime reason for noise pollution but it could be one of the reasons.

Also, Things have changed now. The city roads and highways of India now have four to six lanes, so it is unnecessary to use the ‘Horn OK Please’ slogan.