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 expr

ess 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!

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