Farmer’s Insurance has a weird way of drumming up business

A couple of nights ago we went to the Mall to do a little shopping. It wasn’t holiday shopping since we had finished that a while back. The mall offers free $10 gift cards in the month of your birthday and I wasn’t about to pass that up. I was there to collect.

I got my card and used it to purchase some Happy Socks at JC Penney.  I love Happy Socks. They’re a little goofy and fun. But I digress.

We eventually left the mall around 7:00pm. It was dark. Cars had their headlights on. Well except for one drive. We saw a white Ford Fusion (didn’t write down the plate number or I’d share it) driving without any tail lights. The did have headlights on though. I could see them ahead of the car. Apparently it was the curse of the Daytime Running Lights, illuminating enough street that the driver  didn’t realize the real headlights weren’t on. I guess the lack of instrument lighting inside the car went unnoticed, unless Ford has daytime instrument lights as well. (I know my Flex doesn’t have them.)

Normally I’d figure it’s just another forgetful civilian puttering along in blissful motorized ignorance but when we got directly behind the car it had “farmers.com” in big friendly vinyl letters and an 800 number (which I also didn’t write down and didn’t think to call until just this minute). This car was owned, or at least endorsed, by an insurance company. And it was driving very unsafely. I will say that the brake lights worked, but once the driver’s foot left that pedal, the rear of that car was once again in stealth mode.

At first, I thought maybe it was a forgetful driver, insurance company car and all. I mentally started to write it off. I wear many hats and one of them must be tinfoil. I suddenly thought it was a conspiracy of some sort and perhaps driving with no lights is a weird way for Farmer’s to cause accidents and try to get new clients. Or maybe they’re looking to have the customers of other insurance companies cause accidents forcing those companies to pay claims, putting them out of business. I’m really not sure, but it just seemed weird.

I thought about alerting the driver somehow, but there wasn’t really a good way short of honking flashing lights, but I wasn’t driving; we were in Sheri’s car and I didn’t want to bug her with this. I could have also gotten out of the car and gone up to the other car, but that’s dangerous and slightly creepy. The signal turned green, the Fusion turned left, and we went straight, so I’m not sure what happened after that.

I like to think that the driver found the headlight switch and fixed the error of his ways, but I’m not too sure. This has me worried now. What if other businesses start doing neglectful and dangerous things in the name of business? I can’t think of any potential things that are equivalent right now, but I’m keeping my eyes open. Especially on Burger King. I’m not sure why I’m worried about Burger King, but they’re been acting suspicious and my Spidey Sense is tingling…

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