Posted on 01/31/2005 12:22:43 PM PST by presidio9
State attorneys general announced a $27 million ad campaign today designed to coax SUV owners to drive safely by challenging them to "master" the vehicles. ADVERTISEMENT
The campaign, funded through a settlement with Ford Motor Co., is targeted at men ages 18 to 34, a group of drivers who are disproportionately likely to be involved in SUV rollovers.
"Research shows ... men in this group would not respond well to lectures or to threats, so we knew we had to take a novel approach," said Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist.
The campaign, unveiled at a news conference at the Central Park Zoo, features a monster named Esuvee that resembles a woolly mammoth with headlights.
In one 30-second spot screened for reporters, men ride the beast as they would a bucking bronco while a voice-over intones, "Anybody can ride an Esuvee, but not everybody rides it right."
"What we want to do through this campaign is to remove the halo that SUVs now have ... the halo effect that makes young men particularly feel that they are invulnerable or invincible when they are behind the wheel of a sport utility vehicle," said Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.
The campaign, which will also include print and online ads, is the result of a 2002 settlement between the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and Ford, which the states charged with deceptive ads promoting the safety of SUVs.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration figures show that in 2002 there were 2,448 deaths and 58,000 injuries from SUV rollover crashes in the United States.
The same study found that 67 percent of adults involved in fatal SUV rollovers were male and 61 percent of fatal SUV rollovers involved people between 20 and 39 years old.
The ads urge SUV drivers not to speed, not to overload the vehicles, to check tire pressure regularly and to wear seatbelts.
Ford spokesman Glenn Ray said in a statement, "We agree with the state attorneys general that drivers should always remember to wear their safety belts, avoid excessive speed, and operate their vehicles safely. This applies to all vehicles --cars, trucks and SUVs."
Susan Ferguson, senior vice president of research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, questioned whether the ads would produce the desired effect.
"There's been a ton of research to suggest that people don't change their behavior just through education," Ferguson said.
She said that what makes people drive safely is the threat of a ticket.
Raise their insurance rates.
Once it's tasted human blood, you'll never be able to control your SUV again.
Ever ridden in a 'publico' in Puerto Rico? No windows, no doors, no lapbelts, no speed limit, no paved roads, no brakes. You sort of jump on, and roll out at your stops. Let us not forget, no maximum number of occupants either. Perhaps these PSA's are directed to the wrong crowd.
Good thing I'm 35. I don't feel so targeted.
File this one under "idiotic wastes of money".
I've spent a lot of time on the highways of this fine nation, and I'm here to tell you that idiot drivers run rampant across all vehicle types, econoboxes to eighteen wheelers. Perhaps the sampling of some people is messed up. If they don't know what to do with the money from Ford, how about giving it back to Ford so that every potential buyer could pay a bit less for their new cars and trucks. The overall benefit reaped from that will undoubtedly be greater than some stupid PSA that is frankly based on stereotypes.
Learning how to drive the car you just bought. What a concept.
I remember a lot of this when the Lotus Elise started showing on the used car market in Europe, and people used to Golf GTis and such were buying them. Then they started killing themselves because they didn't know how to drive a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive car with neutral handling. Lotus set up the second generation Elise with understeer to save from themselves those who have more money than driving ability.
Dumbing down an excellent suspension because the masses can't handle it, very sad. Now you have to pay for the sport kit to get the balanced suspension back.
What would they do if they didn't have the rest of us to pay their way...
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."
-- C.S. Lewis
The same thing can be said about 98% of all US drivers.
I have a SUV. I added a special exhaust system. A special air intake system. Bling bling wheels and tires. Next a supercharger. Vroom. Catch me if you can.
Why punish the good drivers?
Well don't let actual data get in the way of a political agenda.
Attack on SUVs Unwarranted, 3 March 2003
http://www.mackinac.org/article.asp?ID=5041
Addressing automakers, suppliers and the industry press on Jan. 14 in Dearborn, the nation's top auto safety official declared sport utility vehicles too dangerous to drive. While this startling assessment may grab headlines, it doesn't stand up to scrutiny. ....
... In fact, there's virtually no difference in overall fatality rates between vehicles in the light truck category and passenger cars. In 2001, for example, there were 1.2 fatalities involving light truck occupants per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, compared to 1.28 for cars. As for injuries, passenger cars posted a rate 28 percent worse than light trucks.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...
I agree with the previous poster who said, "Raise their insurance rates."
Uh...isn't this pretty much the same story for ALL vehicular accidents? If the fabled "Death Car" in Diver's Ed doesn't make an impression on young guys, I don't see how a commercial will.
"Raise their insurance rates."
Why? Light truck / SUV fatality rates are lower than cars.
They're born that way. With a bloodlust that will not be satisfied until their mission is accomplished. Evil seeds. From evil automakers. Destined for destruction. Widder-makers of the worst kind.
This demographic group is disproportionately likely to be involved in any type of motor vehicle accident. Why doesn't the Ford Motor Company finance an advertising campaign targeted at drivers who are utterly incompetent REGARDLESS of their age and gender?
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