If every able driver in the United States drove a Jeep Wrangler, Americans would be on a road to permanent peace with one another. Wrangler drivers who read this article know that statement is true. There is a national social group of Jeep Wrangler owners/drivers who wave and peace-sign their way through traffic. No annual dues, cell phones or laptops necessary.
A Jeep driver waves at a passing Jeep driver.
Rhett and Christi Bolen stepped up into their firetruck red Jeep Wrangler Unlimited to get out for a top-down cruise. Rhett is a Captain with the Monroe Police Department (North Carolina). Christi works part time as an emergency services dispatcher for a neighboring county. They have owned their Wrangler for about four years. “We love to just climb in and go for a ride,” Rhett said. Then he added with a smile, “especially when we get a chance to get away to the beach.”
Rhett and Christi are part of a little-known subculture of American vehicle owners. They are in the Jeep Wrangler family. The only requirement is to own a vehicle in the Wrangler lineup, from the “Altitude” to the new “Jeep Gladiator,” which is a truck. “I really didn’t know what was happening at first. It was kind of weird,” Christi said. “I was driving down the street, and complete strangers in other Wranglers were waving at me.” Christi talked about the customary wave or peace sign Wrangler drivers give when they meet other Wranglers. “I finally caught on,” she said.
