I put a deposit on a new 2025 Mazda CX-30 GX. I wanted red because I want to stand out on the road. My last vehicle was a 2013 KIA Soul that I got from my mother when she was no longer able to drive which was in near mint condition. That car was a dark gray. The excuse that the guy gave the RCMP when he hit me - and turned my car into scrap metal - was that he did not see me. A few weeks after the accident when I was in the hospital, and no longer had a mouth full of tubes, and I was able to make phone calls, I phoned mom and said “About your former car that you so dearly loved . . .”
I cannot get a red one for about two to two and one half weeks. Red is just not readily available. No matter, I am in no severe rush. My sales guy is somewhere around my age and I am pushing sixty. He is doing a career change and is new at car sales. I happened to be his first sale so I made someone happy. I have mixed feelings. My ancestors were Scots and I hate spending money. My wallet screams when I open it like any good Scot. With luck this one will last me for years without someone trying again to prematurely end my existence.
Yep! After I got run over on my gray motorcycle I realized how nicely it blended with the asphalt. They didn't have a red 450 Kawasaki, but the white one looked a Lot smarter than the black.
ReplyDeleteWaiting on a new red car! This is good!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your big step forward into the next phase of your recovery. I love red vehicles!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your new red Mazda!
ReplyDeleteRed is the hardest color to see. If you want to stand out florescent orange or green is the way to go. Emergency equipment no longer uses red as the main color for that reason. As for being hit "cause I didn't see you" is not an excuse for poor driving skill. We need to focus on driving and not be distracted by all the auxiliary stuff: cell phones, music, GPS, info. center, and deer.
ReplyDeleteIt is possible that they really did not see you.
ReplyDeleteInteresting article here from a RAF fighter pilot: https://www.portsmouthctc.org.uk/a-fighter-pilots-guide-to-surviving-on-the-roads/
Excerpt:
"Now for the really interesting part. When we move our head and eyes to scan a scene, our eyes are incapable of moving smoothly across that scene and seeing everything. This makes perfect sense: just like trying to take a picture without holding the camera still. The image would be blurred. So, our clever brain overcomes this by moving our eyes (really fast, remember) in a series of jumps (called saccades) with very short pauses (called fixations and it is only during the pauses that an image is processed. Our brains fill in the gaps with a combination of peripheral vision and an assumption that what is in the gaps must be the same as what you see during the pauses. This might sound crazy, but your brain actually blocks the image that is being received while your eyes are moving, which is why you do not see the sort of blurred image that you see when you look sideways out of a train window."
So - if your eyes see an empty road, then start moving to where the car coming down the road is, your brain may just fill in the image of an empty road while your eyes are moving.
Anon
I am glad your wants and wishes won over your wallet.
ReplyDeleteI hate to buy cars too. Not quite as bad since I force myself to quit looking after papers have been signed. I'm glad you found something and got it over with. My current car is dark gray, however the headlights are always on. Not like night time headlights bright, but they are on with no way to turn them off.
ReplyDeleteOdd that red is not easily available. It seems here we get a choice of red, gray, or black. Unless you mean bright candy apple fire truck red, and not the darker dull burgundy red that's often seen?
I wouldn't want a car that's either white, black or grey simply because they blend in. White is ok in the summer but certainly not in the winter. I think red is a good choice. I hear you about the wallet though.
ReplyDeleteThe CX-30 is an incredible vehicle and you will love it. Had one for a while and loved every minute behind the wheel - it will inspire you to explore even more. Best wishes.
ReplyDelete