on january 17, 1971, two oil tankers owned by standard oil company, the arizona standard and oregon standard, collided in san francisco bay, creating an enormous oil spill of 840,000 gallons. after seeing the damage caused, john francis joked with a friend about never riding in a car again. the following year, a neighbor of francis' died suddenly. faced with a new sense of the uncertainty of life, francis decided to act immediately and for the next 22 years refused to ride in motorized vehicles. francis describes himself as having had an over-inflated sense of self-importance at this time and says that he initially expected other people to follow his example and also forgo automobiles and other powered vehicles.