August 5^th, 2008

On July 24th, 2008 I wrote the following:

Why have people adopted a new habit of stopping their cars a couple of metres short of the line at stop lights and stop signs? ... Maybe someone out there in my enormous blog readership can help me out and solve my quandry.

Well, to my amazement, someone did! Here's what my new friend from Rancho Cordova, California has to say about this behaviour:

I have noticed the phenomenon for 3-4 years. I was told some time ago that folks with high end cars were advised to leave a huge space to the line and to the ahead vehicle, by their lawyers and insurance companies ... When one's vehicle is pushed into the vehicle ahead by the hit from behind, the ins./lawyer of the vehicle one is pushed into can/will try to put fault on the pushed vehicle even tho you can claim you were pushed/couldnt help it ... So ----. I'm told that the "big space" is taught in driver training and get-out-of-ticket classes.

Uh huh. Yes. That clangs a bell nice and loud for me. It makes so much sense that I am certain it is the explanation in the overwhelmingly large number of times.

The way people are positioning their cars just somehow "feels" like that kind of self-interested (moronic) social phenomenon zeitgeist that this answer describes. People are leaving space so that if they get pushed from an accident from behind they won't be accused of rear-ending the car in front. Paranoia will destroy ya. (Well, and make driving more difficult for the rest of us.)

OK, dare I say this? Why not: It is the same people who used to wear the (completely useless) surgical face masks during the last 'flu threat ... for the same pointless reasons and the same lack of positive effect.

Thank you, Mr. Rancho Cordova ... you have indeed solved my quandry!

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