What is it with our Drivers and their Cars?

SOCIAL STUDIES - March 2, 2008

What is it with this town and cars?

When I drive along the Salisbury Road and into town on Main Street I pass at least three Hummers. In the YMCA parking lot I see 20-year-olds getting out of their Lexus RX Sports Utility vehicles. You regularly see people driving cars by Audi, BMW, Cadillac; even the regular car lines seem to sell proportionately higher "high end" vehicles around here.

Perhaps it is just jealousy. When I was 20 I seem to remember that my gross earnings topped the $12,000 mark and afforded me a much better apartment in the McGill Ghetto area, and a subway pass. Of course, I borrowed most of that. It never occurred to me, even now that I am pushing the halfway point of life, that I could afford a luxury vehicle yet.

Don't get me wrong, I was brought up in the Maritimes. I was trained to think that a Crown Victoria was a nice mid-sized sedan; but still, I was also led to believe that it took a while to buy that fancy car.

In fact, the first time I ever laid eyes on a Porsche was in Hampton. It was bright yellow, a convertible, and was being driven by Dr. Snow who was at the time, I believe, 100.

I've been waiting for a truly monumental mid-life crisis to throw away that type of security and get myself a Shelby Cobra, or perhaps a restored 1968 Plymouth Barracuda. I've always thought if it was going to be a statement I should purchase a car that was born with me; just as I have always thought I would have to wait until everything else, house, kids, retirement was pretty much secure before I laid down that type of cash.

I lived like a fish out of water for a short time amongst the rich and famous on Nun's Island off the coast of Montreal. When I parked my Saturn out front of the Van Houte to get a coffee there was always at least one car to gawk at; sometimes a Ferrari, or perhaps a Land Rover. But there was usually only just the one; Most of the stars and celebrities who found their way there seemed to be driving a Ford, or at best, a Buick.

In Montreal the "in" car for the rich young elites was a tricked out Honda Civic. Admittedly, they had usually done some extensive overhauling; but it was still just a little Civic. In the run of a day-long commute across the island, however, you would only see one or two of them, and a couple of other luxury vehicles after passing hundreds of thousands of other rusted behemoths.

In the 15 minutes it takes to drive across Moncton you will most likely encounter 10 times as many fancy cars; and despite my own sense of inadequacy I still think it bears asking, why?

How is it that so many people have that type of disposable income?

How come it seems that younger and younger people seem to be driving cars once reserved for those of us who needed a second childhood?

Why is it that we can justify putting money that rightly should be spent on charities and long-term financial planning into the hands of the automobile industry?

While I am off on this tangent I might as well throw in something else related to the world of motor vehicles. There is a little sign; it is in the shape of a triangle, but standing on one point. This sign is red and white, which might give you some hint as to how it relates to the motor vehicle code; it is a close cousin to an octagonal sign with similar colours that has the word "STOP" written on it. Now this triangle sign has no word emblazoned on its exterior, which might be part of why people keep missing it; but it is in fact a "Yield" sign, and the dictionary definition of the word "Yield" means "to give way to."

Sorry if this sounds a little snarky; but just as there is a running debate in this city over exactly how and when cars should merge, I think we need to bat around the idea that one should take the idea of yielding very seriously.

There is a Science Fiction Series, Battlefield Earth which I never really cared for too much; but it has a great chapter in it. An alien who is living amongst humans as a spy decides to buy himself an old Checker Manufacturing Company New York taxi cab. These cars were solid steel, and he buys it primarily to ram all the people off the road who do not understand how to drive. There are days when I think it would just be prudent to spend my money on a solid steel car.

I would like to think that if I did ever scrape together the cash to get my Cudda, I would slow down when I came to an intersection, I would even stop when oncoming traffic was barrelling towards me with the ability to cause a whole lot of structural damage to the front end.

Yet almost daily I am cut off in one traffic circle or another as people blithely drive out in front of the oncoming traffic. I am never sure if they just did not notice the yield sign, if they just assume they have the right of way, or if they simply expect that I am going to stop before hitting them. I mean, it's not like I am always paying attention either; things happen behind the wheel; which is my point. Defensive driving means that we should expect that other people are going to make mistakes, and therefore try not to make any ourselves by following the rules.

If we are going to be a culture obsessed with cars, we should at least learn how to drive.