I’ve just found this priceless video, acted by five year olds, on road rage. Do give it a click, it’s horribly funny – and I mean horribly, because apparently the children scripted it themselves, based, one can only assume, on what they’ve already seen on the roads in their short little lives.
The video is part of the I Respect the Road campaign by AXA Car Insurance, which aims to get us all to act in a more civilised fashion when we’re behind the wheel. It does seem that we all regress to cavemen, or cavewomen, once we’re safely in the driving seat with the horn temptingly placed in front of us.
When I last went to the States, I was really struck by how much nicer it was driving there. It’s partly that there’s a lower speed limit (I think it’s only 50 or 60 on the motorways, about 20 in towns, but correct me if I’m wrong) and partly that people retain a veneer of courtesy. That same reflex which makes people wish total strangers a ‘nice day’ allows them to give way at a crossing without, apparently, losing all sense of self-respect.
I’ve been lucky (so far!) in London – I’m not a particularly aggressive driver and don’t care terribly if people overtake me (except at school run times – then you’d better beware) but I’ve heard countless stories of people being cut up at junctions, and I’ve sailed past quite a few clear cases of road rage, with people yelling, waving fists and generally letting themselves down, in just the same way as the children do in the video.
AXA wants to get a discussion going about the whole issue. You can become a fan of its Facebook page, have a look at suggestions for tackling the problem on its website and even watch an interview between a cab driver and his fare on the whole shouty, beepy topic. Definitely worth a look. Drive carefully now!