Plastic

Just in case you believe, as I once did, that you are safe  inside the steel casing of your hefty automobile, I'd like to point out that unless you've got an M1 Abrams battle tank parked in your garage, you probably aren't. Today I had what was so much less than a "fender-bender" there is not even a term for it, yet the estimate for repairs came to $1,198.20. It was a little bit like I sneezed and the car was totaled.

What happened was this: I got into my car, turned on the ignition and slowly began backing out of my parking space when I heard a loud groan coming from the vicinity of the left front wheel. Naturally I jumped out to see what had made the noise, expecting to see nothing, and instead saw that fully half of the front bumper was hanging off the car. The eroding remains of a cement curb nearby looked guilty. When I inspected further by actually touching the wounded vehicle, even more of it came off. It was sort of like stripping old wallpaper.

It turns out the $30,000 Saab I always thought was so safe and substantial is made out of the same stuff they use to make Legos. It is disheartening.