In recent years our small streets have become inundated by obnoxiously large cars, the simple truth is that they’re unbritish and yet another symptom of creeping Americanisation.
Cars have gotten bigger, a report by the Guardian last year showed that they have grown half a centimetre wider every year since 2001. This trend becomes obvious when trying to find a parking space, or when navigating down narrow country roads, or through residential areas with cars double parked along the road. Some have argued against this trend on the basis of their environmental damage, or the increased risk they pose to more vulnerable road users should they be involved in an accident. Both are valid arguments, but for me, the most compelling reason we should oppose this latest evolution in motoring trends is because it is unbritish.
What it means to be British or what counts as a ‘British value,’ may depend on who you ask. With enough searching you could probably find a justification for why any virtuous characteristic is, in fact, uniquely British. In my point of view. when we talk about what it means to be British, it must be something which differentiates us from other countries. This rules out the government’s attempt at defining british values of, “democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance.” Although these are values which are important, they are values that you will see various governments across the western world claiming to be unique and special to their own nation, they are not a unique product of Britain.
A true set of British values should be the product of the fact that we are a small, densely populated, and diverse country. The values I will propose as a metric against which to judge big cars are essential to survive in a country with these characteristics. These values are restraint, politeness, and courtesy: and this trend of car growth violates every single one.
On such a small island, restraint is essential. This is apparent when considering how the majority of us live compared to our american counterparts. Unlike across the atlantic, we often live closely packed together, in smaller houses and tightly knit communities, it is far less common here to have the ability to live in a large house on a large plot of land completely detached from society. We have adapted to live closely together, and up until recently, this was reflected in the cars we drove. Cars more suitable for the environment in which we live, this demonstration of restraint has now disappeared.
The restraint we showed was a characteristic of the overall politiness for which Brits are known. This politeness manifests itself daily through our readiness to apologise for anything and everything, and the importance placed on good manners. The rise of SUVs juxtaposes these everydays instances of consideration for others, they signal a willingness to put your own comfort above the ability of everyone else to go about their day unobstructed.
Tying these two values together is common courtesy, the idea that we should all consider how we affect other people. We show courtesy through waiting our turn and queuing, or pointing out if someone else was at the bar before us, or holding the door open for someone else. These cars show no courtesy, they make roads more difficult to navigate, have a tendency to blind other road users due to their lights being raised, they take up far more space in car parks and make visibility more difficult when entering and exiting the space.
What is the solution, then, to this trend of cars getting bigger. Those who enjoy the vehicles might try to blame local authorities and infrastructure, claiming we should alter our environment in order to work around their over indulgence. The real solution is the opposite, those who wish to inconvenience others through owning a luxury item should have to compensate society through an additional tax on larger vehicles.
British streets were never designed for this type of American excess. True British patriotism isn’t a flag from a lamppost, but a Corsa in the driveway.