Depictions of harmful speeds in auto advertisements undermine progress on security

By Chuck Farmer
Vice President, Analysis and Statistical Providers, IIHS

A glossy, silver sedan races by the aisles of a delivery container storage yard, pursued by a menacing motorbike. The sedan home windows are tinted simply sufficient possible your self as the driving force. The motorbike is gaining floor, so that you flip down an aisle at the moment being labored by a crane. As you blow previous the crane, it lowers a delivery container, blocking the motorbike. You’re secure. Or are you?

Scene change. A younger, handsome couple take off their digital actuality headsets, revealing that the chase is simply a part of their recreation. Nonetheless, the glossy, silver sedan is actual, it’s turbocharged, and it’s out there out of your native automotive seller. You need to take it for a check drive.

Every year within the U.S., greater than 300,000 persons are injured and greater than 12,000 die in speed-related automotive crashes. These crashes happen in any respect hours, on all varieties of roads and contain all varieties of drivers. The easy truth is, irrespective of how expert the driving force, velocity impacts each the probability of a crash and the severity of crash accidents. Excessive speeds depart a driver much less time to react, much less room to brake and fewer probability of surviving the drive of a possible crash. Why are we selling automotive gross sales by glorifying velocity?

This kind of message is just not a brand new phenomenon. An IIHS analysis of tv promoting in 1998 discovered that efficiency (i.e., velocity, energy and maneuverability) was a theme in half of all car advertisements. Efficiency was the first theme in 17% of the advertisements. A more recent analysis by Shopper Experiences offered an analogous outcome. Efficiency was a theme in 40% of car advertisements in 2017.

Maybe these advertisements are simply innocent enjoyable. One may suppose that the viewer is conscious sufficient to separate fantasy from actuality, and everyone knows that rushing is harmful. We’re all above-average drivers. We’d by no means attempt to imitate the intense stunt driving seen within the advertisements. However may we be tempted to push the boundaries of velocity only a bit?

Analysis in varied fields has proven that the content material of digital media impacts viewer habits. A lot of the analysis focuses on the results of violent content material on youngsters and adolescents. However there is also proof that grownup attitudes and habits may be affected by persuasive messages. Peer stress is just not at all times apparent, and it’s not only for youngsters.

Just a few years in the past, we noticed an upsurge in dangerous driving habits corresponding to rushing, driving after consuming and failing to put on seatbelts. One concept about this elevated delinquent habits says it was because of the isolation skilled throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However the habits has continued, together with extreme crashes. Many U.S. cities have recently skilled a sizeable improve in deaths to pedestrians and different weak highway customers. They’ve responded with traffic-calming methods corresponding to lane narrowing, velocity humps, and decrease velocity limits. Adverts encouraging drivers to go quick run counter to those efforts. How can we modify driver habits after we’re giving conflicting messages?

The content material of car advertisements is actually self-regulated within the U.S. As a part of its mission to “defend shoppers and promote competitors,” the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) enforces truth-in-advertising legal guidelines. However these legal guidelines don’t say something in regards to the promotion of unsafe driving. The Federal Communications Fee (FCC) requires broadcasters to “function within the public curiosity,” however once more there is no such thing as a particular point out of depictions of unsafe driving. There are, nevertheless, restrictions on advertisements selling another unsafe behaviors. Federal regulation prohibits promoting of tobacco merchandise on any digital medium beneath FCC jurisdiction. And for a few years there have been voluntary restrictions on advertisements for alcoholic drinks.

Broadcasters formulate their very own requirements, though typically they’re open to interpretation. For instance, the ViacomCBS Advertising Standards prohibit “dangerous habits portrayed positively,” with no definition of dangerous habits. The standards at ABC go a bit additional, stating that “secure and lawful driving practices ought to be depicted always.” They level to carrying seatbelts and avoiding distractions as examples of secure driving, however there is no such thing as a point out of velocity. NBCUniversal requires that advertisers “painting compliance with customary security precautions.” Once more, seatbelts are talked about, however not velocity. Is secure velocity not a normal security precaution?

In fact, the automakers themselves bear duty for his or her promoting content material. Some select to glorify velocity to promote automobiles, whilst additionally they tout the protection of their merchandise and conduct safe-driving campaigns. Most car producers embody a dedication to security as a part of their mission. In relation to car design and the adoption of security expertise, they’ve adopted by. Yr after yr, these firms compete for IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK awards, regularly bettering their automobiles as we strengthen the standards for the accolades.

Many automakers additionally sponsor packages to encourage secure driving for teenagers. Ford, for instance, works with the Governors Freeway Security Affiliation to supply Driving Abilities for Life, a program of hands-on security coaching for younger drivers. Normal Motors and the Nationwide Security Council have partnered on the DriveitHOME security coaching program for teen drivers. We all know that teenagers are particularly prone to the urge to hurry, so how can firms justify advertisements that feed that impulse?

The roadway is a shared atmosphere. Drivers are required to pay attention to and respectful towards different highway customers. It’s a part of the driving force licensing contract. Within the days earlier than posted velocity limits, drivers had been anticipated to be “cheap and prudent” of their decisions of velocity, and a few state legal guidelines nonetheless include that language. There isn’t any such factor with no consideration to hurry.

Advertisers should deal with unsafe velocity the identical manner they might deal with drunk driving or failure to make use of a seat belt — behaviors they wouldn’t consider exhibiting in a constructive mild. The fun of shifting at excessive speeds ought to be confined to amusement parks and digital actuality video games. At present’s automobiles are extra dependable, extra environment friendly, extra comfy and safer than ever earlier than. Shouldn’t that be sufficient of a promoting level?