Car Talk

This may be a very personal question but I have to know. Do you talk to your chosen mode of transport?

I was reading today that a survey shows that more than half of South Africa’s drivers talk to their cars. 51% of them believe that bonding with their cars will make the vehicles more reliable, according to the survey by a South African insurance company.

About 79% of those who took part in the survey believed a good relationship between human and car was the key to confidence on the road.

It’s an interesting concept. I must say that I don’t usually talk to my bikes but I have given them both names.

I’ve also seen people standing on the side of the road with their cars broken down talking to – or should I say yelling at – their cars. I’ve also heard people giving their broken down cars some pretty interesting names … but I can’t repeat them here.

Posted by Rodney Olsen



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About the author

Rodney Olsen

Rodney is a husband, father, cyclist, blogger and podcaster from Perth Western Australia.

He has worked in radio at Perth's media ministry Sonshine for over 25 years and has previously worked at ministries such as Compassion Australia and Bible Society.

The views he expresses here are his own.

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9 Comments

  • Rodney, I never realized it before, but yes, I do talk to my car. Whenever I stall it or grind the gears I always I always pat the dash and apologize, LOL. I also sweet-talk my cars (we have two) when they are acting funny, as if I could talk them out of a mechanical problem.
    Funny people we are.

  • I have to say… the only times that I have talked to my cars, is when they were broken down, when they were breaking down, or when I was selling them… I told them good-bye.

  • As a South African (non-surveyed), I talk to OTHER PEOPLE’S cars. Noteably those that cut in front of me, stop without warning, and were manufactured without indicators as standard issue…. 🙂

  • I don’t talk to my car but it does have a name. I got the car from my parents recently and my mom introduced me to it and said her name is Pearl. It is a pearl white color, hence the name. After driving it a short time, I realized I couldn’t call it Pearl, I probably have some psychological issue, but that is beside the point. I have temporarily renamed the car Butch. I didn’t think that would stick but it is the best thing I have come up with and it seems to fit. So I actually have to go now, Butch and I are going home for the evening.

  • Good call Jim. I was having a discussion about naming cars with some girls the other week. Did you know that cars have a sex? That you first must discover whether your car is male or female! No wonder I can’t understand women.
    I’ve only spoken to my cars after they’ve broken down, usually in a negatice light. Once I threw rocks at a car that’d broken down in the country.

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