As climate change activists descended on a road near Washington DC to block traffic and protest against gas-powered cars and pollution, they inadvertently stopped two Tesla models first. It comes as no surprise there were emissions-free vehicles in the mix, as more and more are showing up on our roadways every day.
As you can clearly see in the video above from News2Share, as well as the related tweets below, climate activists headed out onto the road with their signs to create a blockade and force all traffic to stop. The leading cars in the mix are both Tesla models.
According to stories surrounding the incident, the activists took their posts to block the road and protest against gas cars during the morning rush hour. It caused a traffic jam, and many people were openly upset with the situation. The activists refused to open up a lane and allow cars through, stating that they'd stay until they were arrested.
The incident occurred in Virginia, just on the other side of the Washington DC border. The police at the scene noted that the people involved in the protest could be hit with a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia and be fined up to $2,500 and jailed for up to one year for blocking traffic. Nonetheless, the situation continued for about an hour and a half before police arrested at least three of the climate activists.
It's interesting that the protesters were pushing back against the Biden Administration as it has advocated for more legislation to help curb climate change. In fact, the EPA just released some of its strictest emissions standards in history, and a new EV tax credit is working to make EVs more affordable for the masses. However, these activists were reportedly bothered by continued fossil fuel drilling efforts.
While there are many folks that will argue these protesters' intentions were good, you can't block traffic. Peaceful protests are okay in the US, so long as it doesn't lead to breaking other laws.
As more people invest in electric cars, it will become more and more common to see the growing mix of EVs on our roadways. It's already highly likely that if protesters stopped traffic for an hour and a half at rush hour in most areas, there would be some EVs in the mix. We can only hope the number of EVs exceeds the number of gas cars in a growing number of locations sooner rather than later.
