X-HALE
Who owns the Road?

WCould someone please explain to me, and those who don’t understand such things, why are some people so extremely selfish? Or perhaps is it just the fact that these people are so into themselves that they have shut themselves off from the needs of others?

Let me emphasise this – I have no problem with people who drive fancy, expensive, big cars. I do however have a monumental problem with people who drive these cars, believing that they own the roads, and/or the universe.
You may think that I am green with envy because I am not one of them – well let me assure you I am not. I am not picking on these guys. I am penning my thoughts because my experiences with some of the drivers of these fancy, big, expensive cars over the past three years have just not been very pleasant.

It destroys my soul to say this, but it has to be said: the majority of the culprits have been Women! Sisters in big fast expensive cars are certainly not doing it for themselves. Not that the brothers are exempt – of course not – but the sisters are certainly holding the big flag.

My first big problem is the fact that these drivers have no qualms parking in disabled parking zones. The only disabling thing about some of these drivers is that they are wearing extremely high heels. Absolutely nothing wrong with the seven-inch heels, but there’s a lot wrong with parking in a disabled parking bay and claiming that you did so because you can’t walk the distance. There’s a difference between “can’t” and “don’t want to”. It’s unacceptable!

I have had the displeasure of watching a number of women do this. One particular woman stood out for me. She had the nerve to cut in front of a car driven by someone with a disability. Obviously the gentleman who deserved to have the parking bay was fuming with rage, but the offending driver calmly got out her car, tossed back her coiffed hair, grabbed her handbag and tip-toed away from her car on her super high heels. She did not bother to apologise, and she did not so much as look at the handicapped gentleman.

When approached by a security guard, she told him that the centre was discriminating against people like her. Now, I have heard of excuses, but that one took the cake. How on earth can one justify one’s actions by screaming discrimination? “What discrimination?”, the guard asked. She calmly told him that it was simply unfair that disabled people had better parking, and went on to say that everyone should be treated equally. She maintained that she paid her taxes, and contributed towards the upkeep of the mall by spending thousands of rands there every week.

Now do you understand the source of my wrath?

But before every person who owns a big fancy car decides to throttle me, let me be fair and say that not all drivers behave as did Ms Seven-Inch Heels.

However, the second problem I have is with the brothers – Mr Big Fast Expensive Car, who thinks that he also owns the road. Firstly they drive so fast they put Michael Shumacher to shame. Perhaps it’s not their fault. After all, these cars have been programmed to reach speeds way over the 200km/h mark. So, I suppose they feel that they have to push their cars to its intended limits. But they forget that there are mere mortals like you and me whose cars unfortunately do what they are supposed to do – that is get us from point A to point B, safely.

Do these people who drive these fast cars understand how absolutely terrifying it is when they come up behind you at 200km/h and force you to move out of the way. Woe unto you if you don’t move. They will flash their lights at you, hoot, give rude signs and turn you into a shivering, sweating wreck – all at eight in the morning. And your only mistake was to drive at 120km/h. Who is in the wrong here?

The third problem I have is with both the brothers and the sisters. These ladies and some gentlemen would think nothing of driving while using their cell phones and dragging on a cigarette while trying to cut you off – all at the same time. How many hands do they have? Or perhaps these big fancy cars can drive themselves?

Shoo, if having a big, fancy, expensive fast car turns you into this kind of driver – I’ll stick to my slow family saloon, thank you.