Being stuck in traffic jam sometimes avails the opportunity to see how careless we can be without even realising it.
Just the other day, I was startled to see a man driving with twins in the front seat. The children were staring innocently at the world through the fully open car window.
In another incident, a child had her arms waving out at differnt cars as the mother drove along the busy lugogo by-pass.
Witnessing all this made my heart skip a million beats.
Now as if that was not enough, in another scenario, I saw an elderly woman hanging tightly at the front seat of the car as if she would be murdered if she tucked herself away comfortably at the back seat.
Mehhhn! I do not know what is wrong with some Africans and thinking that sitting in the front seat is the most prestigious thing that can ever happen to any human being.
I mean, is it a case of people just being too “local” that the sight of a vehicle excites them? Is it a case of being raised in poverty that suddenly sitting in the front is the epitome of the “I have arrived”? Or is it that some people are just too naive to see how dangerous it is for a child to sit at the front?
Why would a grown up man or woman encourage toddlers to sit at the front of the car and make it worse by having all the windows down? Why should an old woman in her 60s and above, fight to sit at the front as if the world will come to a stand still when he/she sits at the back?
Where I come from, it is respectful for the elderly to enjoy the comfort of a ride at the back where it is safest and seemingly luxurious. So when I see someone fighting to sit at the front, pardon me but in my head, it automatically tells a story about this person’s life- they clearly missed a stage in life that it comes back to bite every so often.
As for the parents who let their children enjoy the front sits as if they do not know the dangers of such acts, I simply pity them because it also says a lot about their background, how they were raised and the kind of environment they belong to. Such are just a typical set of “villagers” who have failed to grow with the trends, thanks to the ‘rural excitement’.
Now please do not get me wrong, it is okay to sit at the front, especially when some circumstances dictate for it to be that way.
However it would not hurt to put safety first. Why stick to enjoying the pleasure that comes with just a moment to “show off”, “naivety”, “ego satisfaction”, “being proudly local” blah blah blah when you can still be happy and enjoy anything for long?
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