Do You Hear a Train Horn in West L.A.? (Los Angeles: to live, legal)

[James T]

Every so often I hear what sounds like a train horn in West L.A., moreso often on Saturdays. Since there are no trains I'm aware of in West L.A., I assume it's a car making this train-like noise, as I recall seeing a news story some time ago about these ultra-loud train horn kits people are having installed on their cars for their demented amusement. I hope these people get reported to the police, since it can't possibly be legal to make such a loud sound from an automobile, and I can only imagine how unbelievably unfuriating it must be to be a pedestrian and hear one of these things at close range, as the news report I saw showed people nearly jumping out of their skins at the horn's sound.

[LALady]

What a bunch of a** holes! The folks who put super loud horns on their cars. I've seen cars that have special flashing lights on their cars. As I turned into my drive way the other day, the car behind me turned on these strobe like lights. I assumed it was mean to say "hurry up". jerks!

[James T]

I haven't seen strobe lights on non-emergency vehicles. I just assume they're illegal as well.

[versatile.]

Ahh. Okay. That's what I used to hear. And I used to live near a freeway. I thought I was going crazy.

[greggd]

I hear it as well.

There is a very loud horn that sounds like a locomotive. Usually, it sounds off very briefly, 1 second, on the weekends. I have heard it several times while at my friends place in Westwood, Veteran near the Federal Bldg.

Its hard to tell where its coming from but we think it may be a car fitted with an industrial air horn.

[Prince of Lombards]

Yeah, I've heard it too, but not lately. Perhaps the police caught the person or people responsible.

[greggd]

My friend heard it this past weekend and again on monday.

[dereistic01]

ive heard it a few times in toluca lake.

[Lovehound]

First, I think it's a them, not an it (or he or she), i.e. multiple people. If there's any way of behaving badly in Los Angeles it's a sure thing that it has spread to more than just one person.

Second, I suspect you are hearing truck horns, not train horns. Truck horns operate on compressed air, so you need to install some sort of air compressor in your car to operate a truck style air horn, but once you've got the air any truck horn will work.

Third, I believe it's against the California motor vehicle code to install such a horn in a car because a horn is part of your vehicle's safety equipment, and California usually frowns on altering a vehicle's safety equipment. IANAL and I am no authority on the MVC so I could be wrong.

Finally, somebody ought to shoot any biatch who uses such a horn when any pedestrians are near. You could deafen a person by doing that. I'd say LA is the "behaving badly" capital of the US but I suspect this kind of bad behavior goes on in any urban area. Perhaps a bit more in LA due to our car culture.

[xyzxyz]

It sounds like it could be kids playing with those stupid air horns. Some of those things are really loud and can travel for miles.