RUBBERNECKING is a descriptive term which conjures up the image of people with elastic necks who are able to twist their heads 360 degrees in order to stare or gawk at something with great curiosity. There is, for example, often a tie-up in traffic as drivers rubberneck as they pass a particularly gruesome auto accident. This happens all over the world, and here in Jeddah, we have vivid examples almost every day of this strange behavior of a not insignificant part of the automobile driving population. When we find ourselves in a traffic tie-up and as we crawl along are wondering what is causing the problem, our thoughts race ahead to some horrible accident with the wreckage of vehicles blocking the road as police direct traffic into a single lane and medics provide emergency first aid with ambulances standing by to whisk the injured to the nearest hospital. Imagine our surprise then as we finally inch our way forward to the scene of the accident and find that two cars have had a minor smash up, the front of one having driven into the back of the other. The cars are safely off the road, the drivers are clearly unhurt and are conversing with each other, and most amazing of all, the road is not in the least blocked by wreckage, police, or ambulances. So what then has caused the backup which necessitated twenty-five minutes of crawling along bumper to bumper? Well, it appears that every car that finally reached the point in the line of traffic where they could see the two damaged vehicles had to slow down and have a really good look, just as if they had never seen a fender bender before. The purpose of slowing down to have a look was not to offer help, because clearly none was needed; it was curiosity, pure and simple: It was rubbernecking. This, of course, was only a minor accident, and the rubbernecking was only of a casual variety. It is the serious, tragic accident which brings out droves of classic rubberneckers who are a wonder to behold. Imagine the scene: On Jeddah's ring road, a car going at great speed veers across the medial strip and crashes head on into a vehicle in the opposite lane, the force of the impact sending both cars tumbling into the air only to finally land in the empty area on the edge of the expressway. Police are now at the scene; bodies may be seen on the ground as officials await the arrival of ambulances. This is a sad scene, but unfortunately, it is one that is repeated many times not only in the Kingdom but around the world. You might ask how it is that driving along the expressway, you can know that something like this terrible accident has happened up ahead. Certainly, there will be a slow down in the traffic, but as you get closer to the scene of the accident, you will find other indications that you are about to see a large flock of rubberneckers engaged in their classic behavior. The first thing you will notice is men parking on the side of the road, and abandoning their vehicles helter-skelter, hurrying ahead on foot, indeed often running apace. Then as your car inches closer and before you even see the accident, you will see crowds of men of all ages perched on a small hill on the opposite side of the road, with more of them climbing higher in hopes of gaining a better vantage point. Policemen will have roped off the area around the accident and the victims so that no unauthorized individuals can get too close and will be doing their best to control the crowd. However, that is not to say that the crowd is in any way unruly. Rubberneckers are generally a peaceful species; all they want to do is gawk and when you think about, it is hard for them to get into too much trouble with their eyes bugged out and their mouths hanging open. And so the crowd gathers, and becomes more dense as space is made for the latecomers, and with necks turned this way and that, it begins very much to resemble a gaggle of geese. We have all witnessed such scenes, but one wonders if any serious analysis has been done as to what causes such crowds of rubberneckers to form at the mere hint of a tragic event. A study of this phenomenon might provide ample scope for a thesis in sociology. One could offer several possibilities. It could be that this vast crowd of gentlemen are all involved in the medical field in one way or the other. Surely, they are not all doctors because the Kingdom has a shortage of qualified Saudi medical personnel, but perhaps they are involved in medicine in some other way. Some of them may be medical students, although surely not all because some would seem to be too old to be students. Then again perhaps they have all taken a first aid course and have stopped by in order to be on hand in case their expertise is required. If, however, we reject all of these possibilities and decide that the individuals have not stopped their cars and run to take a look so as to lend medical or other assistance to those in need, then why have they gathered together like so many flamingoes on a lake? It would be hard to believe that they have never seen an accident before. There are accidents every day and dramatic car chases and crashes are ‘de rigueur' in every television action movie. Furthermore, none of them have actually seen the accident. The accident took place and there might have been a few witnesses in nearby cars, but all of the others who have gathered can only view the aftermath of the accident. However, newcomers to the flock seem to be satisfied, and perhaps even delighted, to learn second or third hand from others what has happened, and then to pass on that knowledge, with of course the usual embellishments, to those who have arrived after them. No doubt speculation is rife as to the cause of the accident, the medical conditions of those injured, and the prognosis for recovery. Murmurs arise and heads turn in one direction as an ambulance is spotted in the distance. This allows for further speculation as to which hospital is involved and what quality of medical care the injured can expect from that particular institution. Finally, after the ambulances have departed, the tow trucks are carrying away the wreckage and the police are getting into their vehicles, the crowd begins to disperse. Sad it is for those who have just joined to learn that they have missed all the fun, but there are others ready to fill them in on what has gone on. In the end everyone begins, rather reluctantly, to drift back to their parked vehicles in order to be on their way to whatever business had brought them to the expressway in the first place. They have all enjoyed a nice bout of rubbernecking and look forward to another accident on another day when they can join together with likeminded fellows to have a good gawk and give their necks a workout. Really, you have to laugh. __
