Honk If You… Believe In Free Speech?
Head to any major city centre, find a busy roundabout and you’ll hear the familiar noise of hundreds of motorists furiously beeping their horns at each other.
Like an orchestra made-up entirely of cars, vans, and HGVs.
Beeping your horn is the traditional warning sign that another driver’s doing something dangerous or that you’re heading around a blind corner.
But is honking your horn also a crucial part of your freedom of speech?
Well, that’s precisely what a high-profile Supreme Court case is deciding on in California.
The US has a long history of free speech cases, and this is the latest, which revolves around Susan Porter honking her horn to show solidarity with protestors…
Which she then received a ticket for.
The thing is, the Sheriff who issued the ticket was well within their right to do so.
That’s because in California, the law states that you can only honk your horn for two reasons - to warn another driver, or as part of an anti-theft device.
But it’s not a rule that’s often enforced as you can imagine, given the way in which horns tend to be operated in day-to-day life.
After she was ruled against in various appeals, she’s taken the case to the highest power in the US legal system, the Supreme Court.
They’ll rule once and for all whether or not honking your horn should be a protected right under Free Speech laws in the US.
Honk if you agree?
