Planning A Law To Replace Car Horns With Musical Instruments: Nitin Gadkari

There is a possibility in the near future where you will soon begin hearing musical instruments in a traffic jam instead of the good ol' horn. Well, that could be a possibility soon if the Minister of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Nitin Gadkari, decides to go ahead with it. The Union Minister recently said that he was planning to bring a law under which only the sound of Indian musical instruments can be used as a horn for vehicles.

According to a recent report, Nitin Gadkari was speaking at a highway inauguration ceremony in Nashik. He said, "I am studying this and soon planning to make a law that the horns of all vehicles should be in Indian musical instruments so that it is pleasant to hear. Flute, tabla, violin, mouth organ, harmonium."

The minister further said that he was also studying the sirens used by ambulances and police vehicles and replace them with a more pleasant tune played on the All India Radio.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari was speaking at the inauguration of a highway in Nashik

Speaking about putting an end to red beacons, Gadkari said, "Now I want to put an end to these sirens as well. I am studying the sirens (used by) ambulances and police. An artist composed a tune of Akashvani (All Indian Radio) and it was played early in the morning. I am thinking of using that tune for ambulances so that people feel pleasant. It is so irritating, especially after ministers pass by, the sirens are used at full volume. This also harms the ears."

It's interesting to note that sirens are an integral part of emergency vehicles and systems the world over. They are essentially there to alert people of their presence and take corrective steps if necessary. On a public road, an ambulance siren would mean a patient in an emergency and needs immediate medical attention. So other road users need to clear the path upon listening to the siren.

Ambulances are fitted with lights and siren to alert people around them to move out of the way and reduce transit time

A 1999 study testing the effectiveness of lights and siren use during ambulance transport by paramedics suggested that the transit time with the lights and siren was reduced by an average of 3 minutes and 50 seconds, as opposed to not using the lights and siren during transit. A follow-up study on the same topic published in 2020, also published similar results and concluded that the lights and siren reduce the emergency medical services response time between 1.7 to 3.6 minutes, while the transport time is shorter by 0.7 to 3.8 minutes.