When we were living in Australia one of the things that I loved was the wit and humor that was everywhere. If there was an opportunity to make a little joke it was taken. Words were used a bit differently than we use them in the USA and one time I had the ladies I was friends with tell me all of their little fun phrases.
Just the other day I said “well, I didn’t come down in the last rain shower” and the person I said it to just burst out laughing. It has become one of my favorite phrases that I learned whilst living down under.
Another thing that really struck me was their attention to safety while driving. Most of our rental cars had a little coffee cup symbol that lit up on the dashboard after you had been driving for two hours. It usually is accompanied by 3 loud beeps and repeats at random intervals. The idea was that you needed to pull off, stop and take a coffee break. The problem was that was not always the easiest thing to do. I look at the distances that I drive now with no break and I suspect that that little coffee cup would be screaming at me.
Another way they tried to emphasize safety was with their road signs. Most were pretty direct. On a drive on the Bruce Highway I was able to write down these gems.
1. Break the drive, stay alive.
2. Every extra K kills.
3. A tired driver is a dead driver. (They don’t pull any punches.)
4. Power lines—look up and live.
5. Take a rest and refresh.
6. Rest if sleepy.
7. Tired drivers die.
8. No seat belts–no chance.
9. Drink drive–you’re a loser. (aka drunk driving)
A simple sign that always made sense to me was their “merge like a zip” sign. Doesn’t that explain how polite drivers should drive rather than driving super fast in an effort to not allow other cars to merge into the lane? Merge like a zip stays with me to this day and I think of it almost every time I have the occasion to merge or allow someone else to merge.
Do you notice creatively written signs where you live? If so, do you have a favorite? Tell me all about it in the comments section and Comment for a Cause.
