ASA and 'road safety' ads

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Sat 3 Nov 2001 13:37
ASA and 'road safety' ads - Andy
Most of us seem to be thoroughly teed off by the banning of the MG ad which was perfectly honest, legal, decent and truthful. It told the truth about the car and its capabilities (ie fast and responsive). So why was it banned?
On the other hand we have the latest so-called 'road safety' ads which seem to be telling pedestrians that it is quite normal and acceptable to step off the pavement into the path of an oncoming vehicle without any responsibility whatsoever. When the pedestrian is mown down, all blame is turned on the driver! Whatever happened to 'look left, look right' etc?
This ad is blatantly misleading. Its message is:
'You can legally and safely blunder into a busy road without looking as long as all the cars are travelling at or under the posted limit'.
It is not honest, legal, decent or truthful. Grounds for a few dozen complaints, methinks. Let's play these anti-car yoghurt-knitters at their own game!
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Sat 3 Nov 2001 13:59
Re: ASA and 'road safety' ads - Tom Shaw
Quite right, Andy. Pedestrian deaths will fall when the education system realises that the Highway Code should be thought from infant school upwards, instesd of PC rubbish like Social Studies. Everyone uses the roads even if they never drive, and basic skills like the correct way to cross the road and the difference between various types of pedestrian crossing are lifesaving skills that every child should know from the earliest opportunity. Politicians, however, are quite content to heap all the responsibility on just one type of road user, the motorist. Makes good headlines and gives them an excuse to lump a few more taxes and restrictions on us.
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Sat 3 Nov 2001 14:11
Re: ASA and 'road safety' ads - pugugly
Lot to be said about the Germans really. Wander into a road there (other than at crossings) and the wrath of the Polizei will be incurred via a fixed penalty. No doubt this would infringe human rights in this country. (Article 58 "The right to whinge") Apparantly ASA seem to think that racism is ok (ie. calling Germans Krauts) but you dare try and sell a motor with the word "speed" in the text and suddenly you become a social leper...............funny that HM Government hasn't had MG/Rover sign the Sex Offenders register and have them publicly flogged.
There was a Islamic Fundamentalist being interviewed on R4 the other day he decribed the Wesrern Democracies as "a civilized form of Dictatorship..." makes you think really.
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Sat 3 Nov 2001 18:18
Re: ASA and 'road safety' ads - Honest John
The ASA doesn't control television commercials, only press ads and posters.

HJ
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Mon 5 Nov 2001 09:48
Re: ASA and 'road safety' ads - ChrisR
Pugugly wrote:

>There was a Islamic Fundamentalist being interviewed on R4 the other day he >decribed the Wesrern Democracies as "a civilized form of Dictatorship..." >makes you think really.

I'd rather have the civilized kind, thanks.

As for the Germans. Pedestrians and cyclists always have right of way, even if they are behaving badly. If you hit one with your car the penalties are very high. Step out into the road, or look like you are about to, and the traffic stops in a completely undramatic way. This was a great source of lunatic amusement to me when I was twelve. Boy, my parents were angry.

Chris
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