posted on Jan, 30 2012 @ 08:19 AM
First off, sometimes shht happens and people die. Look at a NASCAR race... sometimes dozens of cars wreck at 140+mph and no one is killed. Then Dale
Earnhardt hits the wall in a very minor accident and is killed instantly.
Next look at geography. Most people forget that the US is bigger than Europe. Most states are bigger than many European countries. Most counties in US
states are bigger than many European countries. It would take you almost 12 hours to drive from Manteo,NC to Murphy,NC... from the coast to the
mountains. Thus we need and demand bigger cars and trucks. Yes, you can drive a BMW that length, but doing it in a big ol' land yacht like a Buick
Road Master or a Dodge Quad Cab pick up sure is comfortable. And out in the western US... you can literally drive a couple of hours and not see any
thing except power lines and barb wire fences... take on the badlands of Wyoming sometime. While doing so, we came upon a point on the map that looked
like a town...turned out to be a cross roads with a long closed service station, a single wide with a car up on blocks, and a horse out front. In
Europe, most villages are no more than mere minutes apart.
And then there is culture. In the US, the car is a symbol of independence and a rite of passage. I can't speak for all of my fellow Americans, but
most people remember lovingly their first car. Most people have cars as recreational vehicles and collectors items...whole sub cultures, cottage
industries are built on the automobile. And because of culture, many Americans steer away from the safety devices of modern cars and trucks.
Just go to a car show. See how many people gather around a 2010 Mustang and how many gather around the real thing... a 1967 Shelby Mustang... or the
'69 Comaro... or park a 1957 Chevy Bel Aire...tail fins, chrome rims with white letter racing slicks, two tone turquise blue and white....maybe a
'37 Ford coupe...black with flames on the front... maybe it's a macho thing, maybe it's an American thing... but in 1012, those cars still stir the
soul. Nobody wants any of those wussy cars they make now. Even the popular Mustangs, Challengers, PT Cruisers are mere shadows of the cars they allude
to.
Movies...good ol' American movies. We all have our favorites with cars. I remember White Lightening.. Burt Reynolds running shine in a big ol' 4
barrel Ford LTD... or American Graffiti.... or TV...anybody remember Martin Sheen in a 1970s made for TV movie called The California Kid... how about
the ZZ Top video hot rod...even after 30 years, everybody knows The General Lee from the Dukes of Hazard... still one of the best selling replicas on
the toy car market.... still draws a crowd at the shows too.
Lastly, Americans are driven and impatient as hell. Out on I-95 or I-85, they are literally driving 75 plus miles an hour...out on the rural stretches
of interstates...even a hundred mph is common. Throw in a few semi tractor trailers, a few little gas saver compacts... and BAM... mucho mass
casualties.