Car Culture ← The Urban Country

You Are Wasting Your Life Away Sitting In Traffic… 9

Apr

2013

… But at least you aren’t on a bicycle. Or so that’s the message being portrayed by the local newspaper’s automobile section. Every year we see more and more bicycles on the streets here in Toronto. Instead of acknowledging that more people on bicycles means less traffic congestion for car drivers, many drivers seem to ...

“Giving Up Driving My Smartest Move Yet”

Apr

2013

Traffic in Toronto – Photo by Nariman Haghighi Our friend Nariman recently posted a photo of traffic congestion in Toronto with the following caption: “Giving up driving close to 10 years ago was my smartest move yet. Few things are more effective for your well being.” Indeed, driving in this city is detrimental to our ...

Incredible That Americans Entrusted With Driving Cars

Mar

2013

Singapore traffic jam. Photo courtesy of epSos.de Enjoyed this Onion article about drivers: Citing that a majority of Americans are irresponsible, easily distracted people who have little regard for other human beings, a new Department of Transportation report revealed Wednesday that it’s “actually kind of crazy” that U.S. citizens are allowed to drive automobiles. “Americans ...

The Chinese’ Ridiculous Aversion To Seatbelts 2

Mar

2013

China’s “seatbelt t-shirt” – Photo courtesy of hljnews / carnewschina Despite China’s national seatbelt legislation coming into effect in 2004, seatbelts are still not widely used in China almost 10 years later. In fact, virtually nobody in China wears a seatbelt while travelling in the rear seat of an automobile. This, despite the fact that ...

Volvo Technology For Inattentive Drivers 1

Mar

2013

Photo screenshot from Volvo YouTube video Volvo has recently announced new sensor technology that automatically applies the brakes if a cyclist obstructs the path of the car. From the YouTube video: All of Volvo’s new cars sold from May will include the sensors, which initially warn drivers with a row of red lights that flash ...

Toronto Police: To “Serve and Protect” Whom Exactly? 11

Mar

2013

Toronto Police Service car photo courtesy of Stewart Rand The Toronto Police Service, with its long history of blaming the victims when it comes to traffic fatalities, has kicked off its latest blame the victim campaign, which it is calling “Do the bright thing”. The campaign urges pedestrians to wear fluorescent clothing so that distracted ...

19-Car Pileup Caught on Camera 1

Feb

2013

19-car pileup in China – photo snapshot from YouTube video A 19-car-pileup that happened on February 7th was caught on camera in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China. Scroll to 1:00 to see the cars begin sliding in to each other. Several drivers from the pileup get out of their car and risk their lives to apparently try ...

China Traffic Light Art Installation Confuses Tourists, Journalists

Feb

2013

Photo of Chongqing’s traffic signal art installation courtesy of Shanghaiist In Chongqing China, the world’s “most confusing traffic lights” have been baffling tourists and journalists alike. The UK’s Daily Mail reported in May 2012: Motorists in China have been left bemused by this traffic signalling system, where officials installed over 20 sets of lights on ...

Shanghai License Plate Costs Same As Brand New Fully-Loaded Sedan 1

Feb

2013

Shanghai traffic congestion – Photo courtesy of Bert van Dijk In Canada, as in the United States, registering a license plate for a new car takes mere minutes, and assuming you have a valid driver’s license and insurance, anyone can do it for a nominal fee of about $100. In China, registering a license plate ...

External Airbags on Cars: Novel Idea? Or Band-Aid Solution? 11

Jan

2013

External airbags photo courtesy of Fast Company There has been talk for several years now about putting airbags on the exterior of automobiles to protect pedestrians and bicyclists if they get hit. The idea originated in the Netherlands and was lauded by our friend Mikael at Copenhagenize back in 2010. Mikeal wrote in 2010: So, ...