Whose fault is it?
(Baonghean) - It's been raining non-stop for the past few days, and just thinking about leaving the house for work every morning makes me feel depressed. On top of that, I have the important responsibility of taking and picking up little Bim from school. Her school is located on one of the lowest roads in the city, so by the time I reach the school gate, I'm completely soaked…
Today was no different; by the time I finally crawled to the office gate, I looked like I'd just come back from fishing with a net, soaking wet except for the part of my body from the neck up. My colleague in the same office seemed sympathetic:
- You were riding a motorbike, weren't you? You probably got splashed with water from riding so close to the car, right?
Hearing those words was like a weight lifted off my shoulders; I finally let go of all the resentment I'd been holding inside for so long.
- I can't stand those people driving cars! They don't care about the weather and don't pay attention to the people around them. It's raining, the roads are slippery, and normally you shouldn't drive fast because if something happens, braking suddenly is very dangerous. Not to mention heavy rain restricts visibility, yet they just zoom by like they're on a Formula 1 race track. But that's not all; they should know that when a car drives through a large puddle, water splashes up to the sides, and at high speed, sometimes the water even splashes higher than the car's roof, meaning it could easily hit the face of a motorcyclist next to them. Of course, that's rare, but getting soaked and having your clothes covered in mud when driving next to a car is perfectly normal... In short, down with cars!
No sooner had I finished speaking than another man in the room immediately spoke up, sounding displeased:
- You're wrong to say that. Of course, people who own cars don't have to deal with the inconvenience of driving in the sun or rain. You say car drivers have poor awareness, but you should also look at motorcyclists. Every time it rains, what I fear most is motorcyclists, especially women. Wearing raincoats restricts visibility and movement, making it difficult to control the vehicle. Yet, many people don't slow down or pay attention to other vehicles; they just go their own way! Every time I go through roundabouts or intersections, I'm terrified by the endless stream of motorbikes cutting in front of cars, or worse, gracefully and leisurely turning across the car lane. In your opinion, is that the fault of car drivers or motorcyclists?
Before the debate could be resolved, an older woman in the room interrupted:
- My biggest worry is the children riding bikes on the road. Back when we bought our eldest child a Japanese mini-bike, my wife and I weren't even comfortable letting him ride it. For the first few days, we took turns accompanying him to school before letting him ride on his own. Now, our youngest child sees his friends riding electric bikes and insists on buying one, but we haven't agreed yet. Our house is far from school, and we feel sorry for him riding a regular bicycle in the sun and rain, but electric bikes aren't safe. They don't have turn signals or rearview mirrors, and they go relatively fast. Children usually ride in groups, chatting and joking with each other, so if something unexpected happens, it's difficult to control them.
The whole office sat in pensive silence, contemplating the bleak traffic situation, much like those dreary, dreary rainy days. Cars weren't an option, motorbikes weren't, and bicycles were definitely out of the question. So, what mode of transportation should we use? Should we revert to… prehistoric times, that is, walking? I patted my colleague, who worked in the "car" department, on the shoulder and sighed, "The fault probably isn't with the cars or motorbikes, it's with us humans!"
Hai Trieu