For want of a better thread, I've just remembered this incident from last week:
I stopped at a zebra crossing, as pedestrians were waiting to cross. An oncoming driver did the same.
Parent to small child, as they crossed: "These people are kind to stop for us, aren't they?"
Me: "Not really, we're just obeying the law, like we're supposed to."
Car culture, innit.
Unrelated, a few days later I passed a slightly older small child, standing staring in awe at the Belisha beacon at the same crossing. It is one of those funky new ring-of-LEDs ones.