The day the world stopped
It could easily have happened anywhere at any time, what these days is
called a "smoking gun". It was only a matter of when rather than if
and sure enough it finally happened.
Near my home, just like thousands of other places, is a crossroads junction complete with
traffic lights. One day, though, fate took control and the world stopped.
Suddenly, the traffic lights went blank; the power fuse had blown. Such breakdowns are an
inconvenience but traffic-flow somehow manages to continue, except, this time, it didn't.
Everything stopped completely, but only because the people involved were strict
law-abiding citizens. If they had broken the law there would have been no problem! You
see, in Tasmania, there is a road law called "Give way to the right." A car
driver must give way to the vehicle on his right and wait for that vehicle to move.
Everyone soon learns this rule but it can lead to the "smoking gun" situation,
and that is exactly what I saw happen. Four vehicles from four separate directions were
simultaneously at the crossroads when the traffic lights failed. Each driver waited
patiently for the vehicle on his right to move and waited and waited and waited and
waited! More cars arrived and banked up behind the four original vehicles creating a
monumental but beautifully symmetrical traffic-jam.
Eventually, of course, the traffic lights were fixed and began flashing "GO" but
the traffic did not GO. Nothing moved! "How can that be?" you may ask. That is
easily explained. Those first four drivers wanted to be ready to move on the instant so as
not to hold up the traffic and so they kept their engines running. Sadly, they all ran out
of petrol and the world stopped.