Emily Newton, who posts on TikTok as @emilyjnewton, is urging drivers to think twice before honking their horns. She said her perspective changed after a road rage incident that began as an ordinary encounter but turned frightening and left her afraid for her life. Her video had amassed more than 308,000 likes at the time of writing and was captioned, "Your daily reminder to stay safe when driving because you really don't know how stable the person in the other car is." The video also drew thousands of comments from people sharing their own encounters with drivers who engage in road rage.
Newton said the incident happened about two years ago while she was driving in the rain. A car behind her approached dangerously close, and when both cars reached a green light, the other driver lost control and nearly hit the back of her car. She honked her horn.
According to Newton, the man continued following her for a long time and appeared determined to force her off the road. She feared he would physically attack her if he caught up, so she called Australia's emergency number, 000, and told the operator where she was.
Because it was still early in the morning, Newton worried that the nearby police station might not have officers on duty, so she asked emergency services to send officers to meet her there. Police eventually responded, and she got through the incident. Newton said, "I always think twice before I honk my horn," explaining that even considering honking now makes her panic because of the road rage incident.
She said she would like cars to have different horns: one for friendly reminders and another for more urgent warnings.
The video drew replies from people describing similar experiences involving road rage and dangerous driving. One commenter said their mother had been followed home after honking at another driver. The driver returned and shot an arrow at her when she went outside, the commenter said.
Another commenter said they had been followed after briefly honking at a driver who nearly crashed into their car. According to the commenter, the driver threw things at their vehicle, got out and shouted at them before continuing the chase.
Other commenters described drivers braking suddenly, throwing objects, making threats or trying to force other cars off the road. The Daily Dot could not independently verify these accounts.
