(With due deference to Gary Larson).
Insights into another culture:
How about these philosophies? All come from a survey of drivers done by the Philippine Sun-Star Daily during last year's Buckle Up For Safety Week:
Some have been translated from the vernacular...and we have to bear in mind that here what looks like familiar English often has in fact nuances of meaning here which we would not find in UK:
"You only need to wear a seat belt if it's the law in that particular town." (meaning "you must...)"
"If there are traffic police about you have to wear your belt, otherwise it's not needed."
"I have never had an accident, I don't need to wear a seat belt"
"My car doesn't have seat belts. I took them out"
"Seat belts hold you to the seat and make it difficult to move about, reach the radio, find your phone when it falls on the floor or light your cigarette. It is also difficult to eat while wearing one"
"Seat belts are advisable for learner drivers and timid people. Once you have your license you shouldn't need them as you become more confident".
"The traffic police are always coming up with these new ideas so they can extract ligay (bribes). Buckle Up Week is just another police scam for raising money". (wait till we get speed cameras!)
"It's pointless putting seat belts in the car's rear. The accident will be at the front".
"If you are a senior citizen you should be exempt from wearing seat belts".
"Seatbelts are crazy, like those on airplanes. Suppose an airplane crashes. What's a seat belt gonna do for you then?"
"Seat belts are a good idea in town where you're always meeting accidents. But you can take them off once you get on the highway. and it's possible to drive fast without them."
"Why do they put seatbelts in expensive cars? Like they're saying their cars aren't safe or something. Korean stuff, OK, but a Mercedes? No way, man".
"Actually I think seatbelts are a good idea if they help prevent accidents".
"Of course seatbelts are a good idea but not for everyone. This isn't a dictatorship like Singapore, the Philippines is a democracy so people should have the right to drive any way they want".
"Women should be forced to wear seatbelts because they are the worst drivers".
"The goddam government doesn't tell me what to wear in my house and I'm damned if it's gonna tell me what to wear in my automobile..."
"Buckle Up Week huh? It's all BS, next week it'll be Don't Smoke Week, Use a Condom Week, Be Nice to Your Housemaid Week, they just do this stuff to distract you from the other crap that's going on -- forget it....."
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Excellent!!!
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Growler are you sure this is from Sun Star and not pasted in from one of B....H's sites ??
Have a nice time over the Donner Pass
Bfn Phil I
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...as ever I stand by my sources, which are impeccable, Sun-Star Daily from Cebu. Re snow et al over mountain passes, the last time I used chains (outside the bedroom) was on a Bedford CA van in the mountains somewhere near Sofia circa 1970. We were smoking some soothing Afghan cigarettes at the time which undoubtedly helped. That was the first time I saw Turkish and Iranian truck drivers lighting fires under their fuel tanks to unfreeze the diesel.
...don't get me started....
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Nice one, Growler. Puts things nicely in perspective here - I particularly like "The accident will be at the front"!
I'm beginning to wonder if the email discussed in another thread was wide of the mark with its estimate of 3000 fatalities/day...
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