What does 'Horn OK Please' mean behind trucks in India?

Indian roads are generally a place like no other. We can see a lot of diversity on the roads concerning cultures, road manners etc. Diversity is also seen on the Indian trucks, which are filled with different colours and phrases. But in all this one thing you will see in common on the roads is the ‘Horn OK Please’ sign on the back of Indian trucks. So what does it mean? or does it even have any meaning? In today’s article, let’s find out the ‘Horn Ok Please’ meaning. 

Meaning of ‘Horn Ok Please’

The simple meaning behind ‘Horn Ok Please’ is simply to honk before passing. But we aren’t here for the simple explanation, are we? The primary use of this phase is to alert truck drivers of a car behind. Earlier a lot of trucks didn’t have side mirrors, so the only way for these truck drivers to know if a car was behind was through the horn. This explains the phrase, but why is the ‘Ok’ in the middle? Logically, ‘Horn Please’ would make more sense. So hang around and we will try to decode that too.

Why the ‘OK’?

There are several theories behind the ‘OK’ in the middle. One theory is that the ‘OK’ should be in a different format from the ‘Horn Please’. So if the driver is close, then only ‘Horn Please’ should be visible. But this seems to not hold ground as generally, trucks paint this phrase in the same font. Moving on to the next theory, which is a bit more logical. So during World War 2, there was an acute diesel shortage all over the world. During these times, trucks would be filled with kerosene, and we all know what kerosene can do. So the ‘OK’ was actually ‘On Kerosene’ to warn drivers to maintain a safe distance. Not satisfied with these theories, we have another one. Tata had a monopoly in the truck segment and had launched a new bath soap called ‘OK’ through its subsidiary Tata Oil Mills. So it could be a very clever way for Tata to advertise the ‘OK’ soap through its trucks. 

Which theory makes the most sense for you? Do let us know in the comments. 

Horn ok please meaning – Government ban

Though this phrase has found its way on all trucks and is popular in pop culture with movies and songs. But the phrase doesn’t seem to be liked by all. In 2015, the Government of Maharashtra banned the use of ‘Horn Ok Please’ on the rear of commercial vehicles. The reasoning was that it led to unnecessary honking causing noise pollution. So apparently ‘Horn Ok Please’ is not ‘OK’ in Maharashtra at least. Now is it logical or not? That’s up for debut, but still, the phrase has become the mainstay of the Indian trucking community and will continue to be so for the unforeseeable future. 

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