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RESPECTING OTHERS’ VEHICLES

To look at the 2 vehicles in this photo by OC,SHer BEN M, most might scoff & say “who cares” if they were to be further damaged…

…but that’s not right.

Similar to the golden rule of treating others the way you want to be treated, I treat vehicles as if they were mine, no matter where I am: cruise night, car show, store, work place, driveway. It’s a matter of respect & decency. I don’t touch them. I don’t lean on them. I don’t sit on them. I don’t sit in them. Unless, of course, the owner has told me it is OK or I’m invited to do so. I know I’m not the only one, but these days, it seems those of us who think & act this way are getting fewer & farther between.

At a cruise night many years ago, I had the distinct pleasure of watching someone sit on the fender of my car … uninvited. I slowly made my way back to the car & just stood there, watching him, wondering how long he was planning to plant his rear end on my car’s front fender. I didn’t wait too long; his buddy suddenly noticed I was staring at them & motioned for him to move. He looked at me, shrugged & walked away. I didn’t say a word, though when I saw him leave in a spotless car, I wish I had. I doubt I would’ve escaped unscathed had a sat on HIS car. Granted, my car was (& still is) far from perfect, so a new scratch on an already-scratched fender was NOT a big deal. However, it is the principle.

A few years later, I walked out of work at the end of the day to find a car, with a flat tire, parked oddly close to my daily driver. As I walked past the front to the driver’s door, the guy changing the tire reached up & placed his wallet on the hood of my car, gliding & scraping it across part of the hood. As I opened my driver’s door, I opted to not say anything; I figured the guy was flabbergasted as it was, having to change a tire in the late afternoon summer heat. He didn’t notice me until the lady with him quietly motioned for him to remove his wallet. He looked up, looked me in the eye & apologized, adding that he should’ve put his wallet on the ground instead. I nodded & told him it was OK.

Too many times, the common scenario is more like the 1st instance, because in general, vehicles are considered “appliances” to get from Point A to Point B. In this throw away society, most people don’t care about their vehicle. Yet, that’s really no excuse to treating others’ property with little to no respect, particularly at a cruise night or car show.