Traffic lights and street signs were rare in the early 1900s, and cars didn’t have turn signals. So the main ways of signaling were acoustic rather than visual, right?
Yes. When you turned a corner, you would honk your horn. When you backed up, you would honk your horn. When you did anything, you would honk your horn. There was this discipline of having to honk constantly, with the idea being that if you let people know you’re coming, that will cause safety. In many places you would actually get fined if you didn’t honk at an intersection.
In the early 1900s, companies were still trying to figure out what kind of signaling or warning sound would be representational for cars. There were all these devices that made noise in different ways. The klaxon was marketed as a device that was so loud and distinctive that its “aaOOgah” would cut through the surrounding clamor. And it had new electric technology that provided an instantaneous signal, so you could immediately honk if you wanted to.
You noted that a klaxon in the 1920s reached 100 decibels, which is easily loud enough to cause hearing loss. Was that volume normal for klaxons?
The earlier ones were even louder, with a steel brush instead of a cog wheel on a steel diaphragm. It’s just crazy how loud they were.
There were other kinds of sound devices that were quieter and less expensive, so why did so many drivers buy klaxons?
I think showing off was the main reason, especially at first. You had to be rich to own a car at the time, and people wanted to demonstrate that they had the latest technology. Every time you hit that button, you’re signaling something about yourself, saying to the world “I have a car, and here I come.” It’s sort of like people now riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
Vehicle speed was also a factor, because the klaxon could clear a street. There was a sense of “I don’t have to slow down, because I’ve got the biggest horn on the market.”
What did urban residents and pedestrians think about the klaxon?
There was a ton of pushback, especially from anti-noise organizations. That’s why the klaxon manufacturer had to use modern advertising to reframe the noise. Instead of thinking, “Oh, my God, that’s a horrible thing I’m hearing,” they wanted people to think, “That’s what’s going to keep you safe.”