CARS AS PODS

September 27, 2020. 

We've had drive-in restaurants, drive-though banks, and other drive-in businesses for a long time. In those cases, cars are used as a convenience. We avoid the need to get out of the car and it saves a few minutes of time. Car have long been used as a way to get from there to there comfortabley during severe weather. Instead of biking, my kids begged me to drive them to school on days when it was rainy or cold. 

Now during the coronavirus pandeic, cars are used as protective pods. That is, they have became shields from infection. When Covid-19 testing was begun, it was most often a drive-through process. People stayed inside their cars while a health-care person (in full PPE ––personal protective equipment) made a quick nasal poke though an open car window. This week I had an appointment at a large medical complex, and found when I got there that the traffic pattern around the parking structure had changed. The entire ground level had been turned into a drive-through Covid-19 testing operation. I entered the garage by an alternate route and parked on an upper level. 

Since the pandemic began and people are prohibited from gathering in large groups, we've had graduations by car, parades by car, even protests by car. Churches distribute communion by car. Many grocery stores and other take-out establishments offer curb-side pick-up. After placing an order by internet or phone, we drive to the store, pop the trunk, our groceries or take-out food are placed inside the trunk, the lid is closed, and we drive away. Drive-in movies are newly popular even though many of the old big screen drive-ins of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s have been torn down.  

Maybe cars are even going to turn into offices for people who are working from home. I just saw an ad on FaceBook for a start-up that's making a case for a laptop that also serves as a little portable office. The laptop is stowed in a zippered pocket and when the case is unfolded, there's a place for the laptop in the center, while side panels provide pockets for phone, pens, paper and other office necessities. 

I wonder about those people who don't have a car or who don't drive. People who live in the middle of large cities often depend entirely on public transportation. The very poor, or the elderly or disabled don't drive. Will taxis or ride services like Uber and Lyft offer this kind of service? Have agencies for the elderly added "drive-throughs" to their transport offerings? We're in a situation where not having a car can be a health issue.  


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