Road Safety, Volvo Clothing And The Death Of Toad Of Toad Hall

The early 1900s saw the dawning of an new era; the horse drawn carriage was to be a thing of the past and the horseless carriage was making its debut on the roads of the British countryside. Back in those early days, there were no tests to ensure that the drivers of these vehicles were not endangering themselves or others; and the cars back then were notoriously difficult to handle despite their reputation for being rather slow. To begin with, these vehicles had a footman with a flag that walked ahead of the motor car to keep the road clear for the oncoming traffic. Now that is slow.

The danger these vehicles posed to the general public as well as the drivers became more evident as the cars got faster; and like an Aesop's fable, we can take the good ole Toad of Toad Hall as a shining example of the history of the motor car, car drivers and the birth of driving fashion! Donning driving gear was as much a part of driving as the driving itself, albeit out of a need for safety and comfort. Goggles, gloves and flight hat all combined to fight off the wind and protect from brambles and bushes when the inevitable happened and the car left the road. Toad was often depicted in his tweed three piece suit with accessorised driving clothes; tearing through the English countryside yelling 'pwhoop pwhoop' whilst beeping his horn to warn any poor souls in the way that they were to be imminently flattened.

This display of innate driving madness was a sign of the times, and before long there was a government department set up to improve road safety. The introduction of headlights, windscreen wipers and driving tests all helped to reduce fatalities on the road, bringing about an era of sensible driving and road safety awareness. As vehicles were modified, they became more comfortable; hard topped instead of open topped cars were the norm, interiors were fabric instead of leather and heaters were introduced to prevent windows icing up and drivers getting cold. This meant all the Toads on the road ditched the driving clothes the way they used to ditch their cars.

There were no need for gloves, hats and goggles when one was driving in the apparent lap of luxury, but somehow the fashion held on, mostly in the social circles of the car enthusiast. What was once a safety requirement soon became a nod to those in the know; automotive geeks with classic cars pulled on soft kid leather gloves as they set out for a Sunday drive; and it is these safe Sunday drivers, typically of a Volvo loving nature, that are responsible for the emblazoned apparel in car accessory shops today. These drivers are known for their caution and their understated sensible fashion choices, so typically not Toad of Toad hall at all.

The Volvo driver is likely to be wearing clothing that is smart yet casual; any visible brand logo will be barely visible to the naked eye. Emblems are understated, yet likely to be on every item that the Volvo man has with him when getting into his perfectly polished and un-littered automobile. From scarf to gloves, baseball hat to belt, the Volvo man's clothing will be a statement of style and sensibility; slightly milk tray man, with a little bit of James May thrown in for good measure; and most definitely no Toad of Toad Hall tweed.

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