Of Headlights and Selfishness

When you drive at night, how bright are the headlights of your car?

A. Always low beam. High beam used only to signal other drivers, or when there's no other vehicle around.

B. Always high beam, no matter what.

It's a little survey that I do whenever I drive at night. My theory is that those who drive with low beam (the A's) are the more responsible ones. They are not concerned only about themselves, but the other drivers as well. High beams (the B's) are the selfish ones. They don't care if it causes discomfort to the others. All they care for is their own convenience. To cut a long story short, I use it as a rough measure of our society's selfishness or unselfishness.

I've been doing this for over two years now, and the results are terrifying! Invariably, 7 or 8 out of 10 vehicles that came from the opposite direction were on high beam.

I'm not saying that these are bad people. It's just that no one gives a damn about road etiquette in this part of the world. How many of us voluntarily stop at a pedestrian crossing? Hardly anyone dares to, because the moment one does it, there will be ten others behind, honking horns and cursing him. There are plenty of other examples which I don't want to dwell upon.

Here's what N wants all B's to know. It is not just dining etiquette that matters. Next time you start complaining about the pathetic condition of the roads, remember this - It is the same government that gave YOU a driving licence that does road maintenance around here. Now you know what standards we are talking about and what to expect. Go figure!