Uncategorized RoadWhinge on 29 Nov 2006 02:53 pm
Horses for Courses
At the moment there’s a lot of talk about 4×4 (SUV) vehicles in towns. Because many of them are large, with correspondingly thirsty engine capacities, they are getting some stick from eco-warriors. There are also safety issues - apparently getting hit by a large 4×4 at any given speed is likely to do more damage to the inattentive pedestrian than a similar impact by a Nissan Micra or a Reliant 3-wheeler… or something. Clearly the best policy is to avoid getting flattened by vehicles of any type, but if that proves too difficult then one should aim to get run over by a small hatchback or saloon model.
I’m actually straying from the point I was trying to make. Perhaps that would be for the best, as my point is hugely trivial and doesn’t even begin to approach the importance of road safety in the great scheme of things. Nevertheless, I’ll press on regardless…
I drive a very small, very cheap Japanese 4×4. It is relatively eco-friendly with its 1300 engine, so I don’t get any criticism when I drive it into town to work. I do rather agree with those who think that large 4×4s are not really necessary for people who live and work in town and rarely travel out to the sticks.
I live in a small - no, tiny - rural village. It’s in the middle of nowhere, with narrow, potholed roads. Amongst the hazards for drivers are protruding tree branches, mud and horse manure all over the road, herds of deer, rabbits, weasels, badgers, pheasants and other undisciplined wildlife meandering around with no respect for one’s right of way. The roads flood a lot, and in the winter they often become impassable due to drifting snow.
Just as I don’t really understand why urban drivers need big, tough 4×4s, I really don’t see why people who live in my neck of the woods drive around in vulnerable, fragile, expensive, boutique vehicles. What is more, I wish they bloody wouldn’t.
What sense is there in driving through rough, muddy, narrow country lanes, where you are almost certain to meet the one daily bus coming the other way, if you are in a top-of-the-range Mercedes, Ferrari or Porsche? It’s going to get muddy, scratched, and its suspension is going to take a hammering. To make it worse, these people drive in the middle of the road in a futile bid to avoid the unavoidable overgrown hedges and verges. They stubbornly refuse to move over, presumably thinking that they have some kind of priority over the local oik in his cheaper vehicle.
My patience is at an end. Not only will I no longer pander to this arrogance… I will begin a war of nerves. No longer will I move over. Either they do or no one does. I can live with a few scratches on my £9000 Jimny. We’ll see who is best equipped for the environment.
Mwoah ha ha ha! (That’s supposed to be diabolical laughter, by the way…)