In the slush and mud of the seasons it is an accepted fact of travel life that most vehicles on the road are covered in dirt and grime.
The earthy covering is evidence of considerable travel on rural roadways; parking on sloppy city streets; even the result of being behind or being passed by speeding half-tons and semi-trailer trucks.
Whatever the source, muddy-caked vehicles are the reason that car washes remain in business, or why home water bills soar in the grimy times of year.
The grime also is a source of concealment for the fate of parking in parking lots where drivers care only for the safety of their own vehicles and don’t much worry about what happens to the conveyances on either side.
As a driver I am often worried about the dangers of parking lots, where spaces don’t seem big enough to handle the length and width of certain vehicles, especially if their drivers don’t understand what the yellow lines mean.
And because I don’t often have reason to study the passenger-side rear bumper, the damage to my SUV wasn’t immediately brought to my attention. For some reason, Housemate and nephew were rubbing some of the dirt off my car one day to reveal a dent that had previously gone unnoticed.
It is true that I might have rushed to be judge and jury but the facts in my head supported the idea that the damage had taken place in a parking lot, perhaps the result of the wind grabbing a door away from a passenger of a neighbouring car. Surely in that circumstance, the guilty party should have stuck around to own up to the crime, or at least leave a note with contact information. That did not happen.
An alternative guilty action might have involved a full-to-the-brim shopping cart being slammed into the bumper. Again, no letter of guilt left behind.
To be fair, maybe the culprits didn’t realize the damage done and went on their merry way, either inside to shop, or heading home thinking they had had an enjoyable day.
In fairness to parking lots, the suggestion was made that the damage might have been done while I was parked on a street. With that side facing the sidewalk, another vehicle would not have been involved. That would mean the dent was a deliberate offence, perhaps collateral damage from a skirmish of some sort.
Whatever happened, I am unhappy and certainly my vehicle is unhappy and no doubt my insurance agent will be unhappy as well.
Meanwhile, there is enough grime on my car that the dent is out of sight, out of mind but come spring, when my SUV is washed and waxed, the damage will be evident every time I do a walk-about check in the parking lots of my future.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
