Hey Wimp Don't Honk after the Fact!

People who honk at you long after you have done something they disliked, are wimps, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, sales, service, and success coach, and best-selling author of 12 books and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers How To Make Success Inevitable." What they''re doing is technically illegal and unduly provocative, which could earn them a ticket or a shot in the honker, if some enraged motorist decides to get into a honk-a-thon with them, says this popular keynote speaker and radio and TV commentator.

There?s a quirky little motoring behavior that I?m witnessing in Southern California, and it may be catching on elsewhere, that?s driving me batty. I was pulling into my driveway this afternoon, and naturally, the car behind me had to slow down. The trash truck left my container askew, so I had to come to a complete stop while my passenger moved it out of the way, enabling me to pull in. The driver behind me made no peep as we were doing this, but after we pulled in, she honked her horn, as if to say, ?I hated having to wait!?

This is one of the brattiest showings of hostility to creep into driving since people started going just the speed limit or a little less in the carpool lanes.

Why do people wait to express their disdain?

Because they?re wimps, waiting to be past us as they do their honking, knowing that it?s improbable that we?ll chase them down and engage in reciprocal honking and other aggressive behaviors.

If you?re going to honk, do it in real time. Tell me, right now, that you?re an impatient fool.

I may not like it, but hey, it will at least be a courageous gesture, not a cheap shot.

Moreover, honks that have no immediate connection to actual offending behaviors confuse and distract other motorists. They turn this way and that, wondering if they erred, and this takes their focus away from where it should be?straight ahead.

If you look at the vehicle code, at least in California, it prohibits honking for the heck of it, or to express oneself. Honking is permitted to signal danger.

Doing it after the fact can actually create danger. One day, someone will hunt down these wimps, and respond with more than a honk; maybe with a shot aimed right at their honker!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of www.Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone? and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, ?The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,? published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC''s Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at [phone] or at: [e-mail]