Me-first culture in road traffic and classic cars
09/19/2019
It seems as if modern (urban) transportation is a reflection of global politics. A me-first culture prevails. And this is completely independent of the mode of transportation. The pedestrian who steps out onto the crosswalk without looking, regardless of whether a vehicle is approaching, insists on his right of way. Perhaps he has just got out of his car, which he has parked, but has already forgotten the driver's perspective.
Cyclists are no better. Contrary to all regulations and light signals, they push for right of way and delay-free passage, forcing other road users to take evasive action or stop. The scooter rider moves to the front of the waiting convoy, after having previously dashed across safety lines and the opposite lane. And the modern car driver parks his (wide) car half a meter outside the parking space, if he even considers whether he is allowed to park.
Everyone is looking out for their own advantage and tolerance is dwindling. It would improve the flow of traffic if pedestrians would hurry up when crossing the road now and then, if cyclists would refrain from pushing forward for once, and so on.
More tolerance for less CO2. If you think not only for yourself, but also for other road users, you can significantly reduce the stress in the "system" by not driving into the middle of the junction when traffic is at a standstill, only to immediately become an obstacle again. And so on and so forth.
But what does all this have to do with classic cars? In fact, classic car drivers are not so rarely the white sheep in this parade. They are inherently more tolerant, jostle less, leave more space for other road users simply because of the smaller dimensions of their vehicle and use less parking space for the same reason. In addition, they do not hide behind dark tinted windows or even drive openly.
Of course, this does not turn the classic car driver into an angel, but many a modern driver could certainly take a leaf out of the book of the foresighted classic car driver ...
