I want one of those sandpapered-look top of the range cars

You must have seen them in a matte black finish looking like at the end of the paint finishing process a minimum wage person has been handed a piece of sandpaper and told to take the shine off the vehicle so it looks like it’s just been undercoated, because the unfinished look is presently seemingly trendy.

Well, I came across one today on my cycle ride and whilst pondering on how bad they look, to me anyway, something else hit me. No, not the that car but the fact that I could barely see the driver as the windscreen was so dark/black too. Had it been inadvertently sandpapered as well?

My point here, joking aside, is that I was taught very early on as a cyclist to try to make sure drivers make eye contact with you at junctions. If they don’t they’re a danger to you so in this case they were a danger because I had no idea if they’d looked at me or not. Surely windscreens should not be so dark as to only be able to make out a vague outline of the person driving? Frankly, I couldn’t even tell if the driver was male or female!

It reminded me of the young lads we see in every community these days, all dressed in black with their hoods up no matter how hot/sunny the weather is. Some even have their faces covered too trying to look like gangsters, even though most will not be, but it’s cool to look like one if you’re young, or so it seems.

So have I now come across the adult car version of a black-hooded disguised teenager? If the car had stopped and a driver dressed all in black from head to toe had got out it may all have made more sense:-)