"Wow, that guy's a real Volvo driver"
" Volvo Drivers. There's a well-known theory around these parts (also heard on PBS's Cartalk program) that bad drivers gravitate towards Volvos because of the extra safety the average Volvo gives such a driver (why not kill someone else when you drive badly -- much better than killing yourself...). So the term "Volvo Driver" has come to stand for a mixture of obliviousness, self-righteousness, smugness, and arrogance that seems to come naturally to these drivers.
Typical usage is something like "Wow, that guy's a real Volvo Driver" -- uttered open-mouthed after watching someone change lanes in front of you without either signalling or looking before the change, narrowly missing several cars, causing others to brake or swerve violently, and driving on serenely without having noticed anything wrong at all. Volvo Drivers sail straight through four-way stop junctions without noticing the stop signs or, indeed, any contending traffic. Volvo Drivers drive at 45 M.P.H. in the fast lane of a 70 M.P.H. freeway with twenty cars behind them trying to pass. Volvo Drivers weave around in traffic lanes, driving with one hand. Volvo Drivers signal that they're turning right as they cut left across oncoming traffic. Volvo Drivers double park in the middle of a busy city traffic lane, cheerily waving at the backed-up traffic, explaining that they're "just going into the post office for a second" (how anyone can spend "just a second" in a post office is beyond me, but that's not the point...). Volvo Drivers often seem to be talking to imaginary passengers.
The term gets extra value around places like Berkeley where large numbers of ex-hippies and other aging baby boomers have forsaken beaten up VW Kombi Vans for slightly less-beaten up Volvos. Real Volvo Drivers usually have social cause stickers all over their cars -- things like "Visualize World Peace" (it's a pity they can't visualize using their turn signals...) or "Mean People Suck" (now there's a deep thought). In the Bay Area, Volvos come from the factory with a KQED bumper sticker already attached. Naturally, the term covers non-Volvo drivers, and clearly, most Volvo drivers are not Volvo Drivers. There are also apparently variants such as "Cadillac Driver", but I'm not so familiar with them. Yes, some of my best friends own Volvos. Really.
(For a very funny alternative view of Australian Volvo Drivers, watch Heather Croall's short "Herd of Cows" video at Re Angle Pictures (it's one of the video links on the front page there). As Heather says, "Herd of Cows is a five minute short that 'exposes' the truth behind the myth of Volvo Drivers. Made on the cheap, this self-funded video became the centre of a media controversy around Australia." It also won Best Documentary in Adelaide Film and Video Festival 1997... (and check out the other videos on the Re Angle site -- this is a real gem of a site)."
Typical usage is something like "Wow, that guy's a real Volvo Driver" -- uttered open-mouthed after watching someone change lanes in front of you without either signalling or looking before the change, narrowly missing several cars, causing others to brake or swerve violently, and driving on serenely without having noticed anything wrong at all. Volvo Drivers sail straight through four-way stop junctions without noticing the stop signs or, indeed, any contending traffic. Volvo Drivers drive at 45 M.P.H. in the fast lane of a 70 M.P.H. freeway with twenty cars behind them trying to pass. Volvo Drivers weave around in traffic lanes, driving with one hand. Volvo Drivers signal that they're turning right as they cut left across oncoming traffic. Volvo Drivers double park in the middle of a busy city traffic lane, cheerily waving at the backed-up traffic, explaining that they're "just going into the post office for a second" (how anyone can spend "just a second" in a post office is beyond me, but that's not the point...). Volvo Drivers often seem to be talking to imaginary passengers.
The term gets extra value around places like Berkeley where large numbers of ex-hippies and other aging baby boomers have forsaken beaten up VW Kombi Vans for slightly less-beaten up Volvos. Real Volvo Drivers usually have social cause stickers all over their cars -- things like "Visualize World Peace" (it's a pity they can't visualize using their turn signals...) or "Mean People Suck" (now there's a deep thought). In the Bay Area, Volvos come from the factory with a KQED bumper sticker already attached. Naturally, the term covers non-Volvo drivers, and clearly, most Volvo drivers are not Volvo Drivers. There are also apparently variants such as "Cadillac Driver", but I'm not so familiar with them. Yes, some of my best friends own Volvos. Really.
(For a very funny alternative view of Australian Volvo Drivers, watch Heather Croall's short "Herd of Cows" video at Re Angle Pictures (it's one of the video links on the front page there). As Heather says, "Herd of Cows is a five minute short that 'exposes' the truth behind the myth of Volvo Drivers. Made on the cheap, this self-funded video became the centre of a media controversy around Australia." It also won Best Documentary in Adelaide Film and Video Festival 1997... (and check out the other videos on the Re Angle site -- this is a real gem of a site)."