Small UK cars
One of the first things an American traveler in Great Britain notices is all the very small cars! In our neighborhood at home, the prototypical vehicle is some variety of SUV. But the cars one immediately notices after landing at Heathrow are little ones, designed for basic transportation.
The one shown here isn't the littlest; actually, it (as a four-door) is probably among the largest of the smaller style cars. The really little ones hold only two people in what looks to be a rolling acorn.
In the US, the argument would be that such a car is "too dangerous" to drive in heavy traffic. But apparently in the crowded streets of London, many people find such smaller vehicles to be perfect, or, as they would be more likely to say, "brilliant."
Although, to be fair, no car is truly "brilliant" there. On the whole it is better for most to ride the fine mass transportation (the tube or buses), to use a taxi, or to bicycle--or to walk.
But, still, noticing little cars (along with seeing the sign for the underground) was our very first impression of a somewhat different, but somewhat similar, culture. Where people speak the same language that Americans do, write with the same words and letters, but also have what is at least in part a rather different take on dealing with the problems of 21st century life.
A good place to observe differences, try to learn from them--but also with the necessity of "minding the gap."
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I found your observation really good. The many times I have visited America I was struck by how big the cars were. And how big the roads were too.
different global locations but basiclly the same :-)
Our Country wastes a lot of things, we could do with smaller cars, saving gas, energy, etc. It sure would help.
For some reason they forget that all vehicles sold in the USA or Canada have to pass a crash test before they can be sold!
Right now I am sick and the most important part of that is in Japan people stay at home or wear a mask if they are sick and Europeans are now adopting the same ideals where hear in the North America people go out hacking and coughing all over everyone for no other reason then they don’t want to stay at home sick. If they would cover up there mouth with a mask and or cough into there sleeve instead of there hand which they touch everything.
What dose being sick have to do with the cars well everything I could write a 100 page rant on this but I guess the best thing to say is that more blogs like this and more discussions like this might hit the right ears and even though the preach bigger means more safe, maybe some day they will realize that if everyone drives a small vehicle you won’t have to worry about a bigger car doing more damage to your small one. And that change has to happen because the way we are going isn’t working! also the British and Japanese cars are more operate friendly then what they are purposing here
You probably know that the European situation is similar to the US and Canada’s. In fact, a poor Euro NCAP score is fatal to a car’s sales (Rover had to withdraw the 100 after Top Gear revealed its low score). A low NCAP score in the US has never had that effect (e.g. the Daewoo Kalos, a.k.a. Chevrolet Aveo, remains on sale; previous relatively unsafe cars such as the Daewoo Leganza and Toyota Corolla 30 remained on sale in the US).
So I would guess the Europeans are even more conscious of safety than North Americans (in general), which is why you see cars with all those airbags coming from the Continent as standard equipment.
I really like what you had to say in your last paragraph.