I’m the parent of a teenage driver with whom I’ve been adamant about safe driving. She had to pass a top-notch driver’s education program and accept considerable parental supervision before we gave her the keys.
Most parents are pretty savvy at detecting pro-drug propaganda but miss the potentially dangerous messages promoting unsafe driving. I know cars kill a lot of kids every year, along with people of all ages.
That’s why I’m upset at the automobile ads that blatantly demonstrate vehicles speeding incredibly fast down highways, careening around mountains and even “flying” over the “average” cars in town.
I know that automakers want to portray a sense of power and excitement when driving their vehicles, but, as a psychologist, I also know that such ads can communicate more than intended, such as how “cool” it is to drive that way.
I don’t want my kids–or any other kids–exposed to this kind of message.
