hubris - noun - extreme, excessive pride or dangerous overconfidence (Merriam-Webster.com)
When it comes to driving in L. A. where traffic jams blend ubiquitously into the landscape, I have an unproven, yet practical theory. All of the drivers who initially flunked and then passed (by the skin of their teeth) their DMV driving tests anywhere else in the United States migrated to SoCal sometime afterward, celebrating the possibilities of the California car culture on the way. Why do I think this is true? Vehicle accidents are plentiful here, which is why car insurance and registration in the City of Angels are probably the highest in the country. But much of the crashes might be due to hubris, the pervasive attitude that bigger is better. Because the "Biggers" contend that they are better, they push their weight around. I see these folks cutting off economy cars all of the time because they can. Apparently according to the "Biggers" whom I know and love, the rationale behind buying bigger is that the larger the vehicle, the least likely they and their passengers will lose their lives in collisions. Well, I hate to tell you guys, but someday you'll die. And if you are meant to die in a car accident, you will, no matter how colossal your vehicle is. The problem here is that "Biggers" often cause the road fatalities.
Every morning, I listen to the headlines via the New York Times app. Today's last two-minute, oral article considered the rise in pedestrian deaths due to the bigger and better. SUVs and trucks are so high up that the drivers' sight lines are limited. As their gazes are on the distant horizon, they simply do not see pedestrians at ground level. They also don't see those of us who are beneath them in compact cars as was the case last Saturday when I was trying to exit the parking lot at Trader Joe's. A woman riding high in the saddle of a huge Suburban didn't see that little old I in my pseudo-lowrider Mazda 3 was perpendicular to her monstrosity and started backing out of her spot. Fortunately, the car in front of me moved in the knick of time so that I could hit the accelerator to escape the probability of my car's getting reduced to a crushed tin can. Thank Goodness for small favors.
While I'm on this rant, pertaining to the parking lot of Trader Joe's (and parking garages), I'd like to broach the topic on differentiating between SUVs, mini-vans, vans, and pick-ups and compact cars, such as Austin Minis, VW Beetles, Priuses, etc. The former grouping DOES NOT BELONG under the nomenclature of "Compact" albeit I see these monsters parked in the tighter spaces labeled COMPACT in giant letters ALL OF THE TIME. Why? Hubris. Bigger is better, so "Biggers" can park wherever they want to. It's a free country. Right? Why should smaller cars have a more generous selection of parking spaces? (This is the thinking.) Well, just to let you"Biggers" know, there are engineers/architects who design these parking areas and take the width and length of all possible parked vehicles under consideration when planning the lots. If you "Biggers" cop an attitude and park where you don't belong, you limit the space in back of you and that of the other "Bigger" parked behind you so that you pretty much park yourselves in or just reduce a two-way road into a one-way path, making it harder for vehicles to move freely and safely around the lot. It's also a lot easier to gouge the doors of or hit any one or more "Biggers" parked next to you in the compact car spots. Ooo weee! Door dings and fender benders abound. If the trend continues, before you know it, your SUV or truck will look like it had an egregious outbreak of small pox or a bad case of acne albeit I realize that some of you don't care. Yet wouldn't it be nice if everyone followed the rules posted via signage instead of considering them just a suggestion?
Of course, there have always been "Biggers." A long time ago (fifty years in fact), there was a gas crisis that convinced the "Biggers" back then to trade in their gas-guzzling, V8 Caddies for practical, efficient Japanese imports, such as 4-cylinder Toyotas. How SUVs and pick-ups became stylish is beyond me. Maybe the Boomers whose parents had them take their El Dorados to the nearest gas line back in '76 actually had too much fun while waiting all night for gas? Or maybe the Generation X and Millennial "Biggers" just crave more confidence so they buy big to rise above the status quo on the roads? Who knows?
I have no answers, just advice. Biggers, obviously you can keep your pretentious possessions, but try to park where you're supposed to, and don't attempt to cut off us puny peons on the 405, 10, 101, 110, or elsewhere. Of course, don't forget to look down when making turns so that you don't hit any pedestrians crossing the street. Thank you.
"That's all."
#critique, #personal essay, #driving rules, #blog, #blogger, #rant, #LosAngeles, #car culture
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