How can I expect people to behave ethically/morally towards me if I exist only as an environmental artifact?

I’m just another car on the road, a voice on the phone, or a cashier at a counter.

The more emotional distance a person has with another being, the less likely they are willing to react in an ethical way to that being. For example it is unlikely one would cut off a friend on the road, and then give them the finger. However, most people have likely done that very thing to a person they did not know. Such is the world in which we live.

What matters to people is only what already matters to them (friends, family, etc). There is little regard for others. This holds true even for those who consider themselves religious, faithful, or ethical. Do some self examination and you will find you are not exempt.