Jacqs Sullivan
5 Jun 2023
Flash Fiction
Once upon a time, a man Ken, and a woman, Babs, had an accidental car crash. They were equally to blame , as they both made split-second decisions that led to the crash.
The village where they lived had only recently allowed women to drive on their own anytime they wanted to. And no one questionned the village elders' decison that part of the new arrangement would mean that women would be fully responsible for car accidents involving a man, even if he was partly, or fully to blame,
Due to this, Babs carried the cost of the repairs and all of the worry, but thankfully, this time, her car wasn't damaged and she didn't need a new one. Ken walked away unscathed.
A campaign had been launched to raise awareness of the new initiative to let women like Babs drive alone. Oddly, it was designed to make women drive more wrecklessly. This led to an increase in drink driving, and poorer judgements.
The campaign made Babs believe it was all in the name of liberating women from not being able to drive by themselves. She was so glad she could drive wherever and whenever she wanted, without a man in the car with her.
Babs and all the women in her area felt so free! And the men loved it as they could meet more women on the road, without the worry of the consequences of accidents.
The movement happened to coincide with the launch of a special chemical air freshener, just for females, that gave Babs false confidence when she was on the road.
It also coincided with an agreement that women would receive payouts from the village hall to support them when they traded in their old car for a new, more expensive car, nine months after an accident, if the woman's car was so damaged it couldn't be repaired.
Luckily, Babs didn't need to do this, and she was able to keep her car, and get on with her life, with a lesson to drive more carefully next time.