Why I will never buy another Chrysler product.

[Jerry Freeman]

Thanks for bringing this up. I saw that ad on tv 2 days ago. I almost couldn't believe the irresponsibility.
I hope the backlash blows them into the age of the tailfin.

I had exactly the same experience.

Best wishes,
Jerry

[jsluder]

Thanks for bringing this up. I saw that ad on tv 2 days ago. I almost couldn't believe the irresponsibility.
I hope the backlash blows them into the age of the tailfin.

I had exactly the same experience.

As someone who drove a Jeep Wrangler for 11 years (but now drives a Subaru), my first reaction upon seeing that Roller Coaster ad on TV was, "Wow, I think that's the most irresponsible automobile ad I've ever seen." Those things are not designed for that kind of "fun". They're designed to go slow over rough terrain.

I went to high school with a girl who had lost a hand in a Jeep rollover accident at the beach. Her wrist was crushed under the roll bar.

[Dale]

As best I can tell, the shock-style approach has a very short term effect on behavior. Like days, maybe.

There has, ofcourse, been a good deal of discussion about this in the media. The road safety authorities seem to feel it is effective enough and I can assure you that if you watch television at all while a campaign is running you'll get to see the clips and you'll see them often.

Thanks. Keep me posted about this. I'd like to know what people find, over the long run, the effects are.

[Dale]

Someone brought up cell phones. Let me take this opportunity to beg everyone who reads this to stop using your cell phones when you drive. I have been guilty of this myself and recently resolved to stop and -- so far so good. (About 3 weeks of sobriety!)

I'm reading the research on this. Fascinating stuff. Three things to know.

1. The data is crystal (////BRK]]]]) clear that the risk of an accident goes up significantly when we use cell phones. (Which means, remember, we increase the risk we'll kill or injure ourselves or kill and injure someone else.) Dialing while driving is particularly dangerous. But, just driving and talking is also highly risky. Use of Bluetooth and other hands-free devices DO NOT appear to help. More about that below.

2. Most of us think that's true of others but not so true of us. This is due to a cognitive error. Most of us have had a long stretch of time during which we've driven while using our cell phones. We take that data and consciously or half-consciously, we conclude it means that we CAN driver safely while on the phone. We think OTHER people can't, but we can. Because we have. But, in truth, it is much, much more likely to mean that we've been LUCKY. We don't like to think that way. We all tend to overestimate our driving ability, in general. (In surveys, 90% of American drivers say that they consider themselves "average" or "above average" drivers. That doesn't add up, of course!)

Please bear with me. I'm trying to save your life up in here.

3. Very inexperienced drivers, like teenagers first learning to drive, have the highest crash rates and fatality rates of any drivers. Eye-tracking studies establish that brand new learning drivers keep their eyes trained straight ahead. Trying to stay in the lane. They use very little peripheral vision. Remember that? Your mother or dad kept telling you you were goiing too fast. It wasn't because you meant to speed. It was, rather, that you didn't have enough focus and attention resources left over to track your speed while you were trying to stay on the road.

As drivers gain more experience, they automate their ability to stay in the lane, operate the foot pedals, etc., all without being conscious of it. It's automatic. This frees up our attention and focus resources so we can visually scan, process peripheral vision data, and watch for potential problems. That makes us safer. And, eye-tracking studies show this.

Now, here's the payoff. When experienced drivers are talking on the cell phone, eye-tracking data shows that they stop scanning the visual field, and focus STRAIGHT AHEAD. In other words, they revert to the visual processes and information processing of a BRAND NEW STUDENT DRIVER. And, as I said above, this appears to be true even if using a hands-free cell phone device.

So, please wise up and pull over to use the cell. And, for the love of God, once again, as I've implored for 12 years: DON'T WHISTLE WHILE DRIVING!

Safe travels,


Dale

[MTGuru]

If the characters in the advert were adults wearing full safety gear, would the reactions be any different? Just curious.

[izzarina]

My almost 19 year old daughter was in the car with a friend recently. The friend was driving, and text messaging another friend at the same time. And people wonder why we have to have laws concerning these things. There is no way her mind was on her driving as she typed out those messages. Had I been there, I would have lit into her big time for putting my child in danger as well as the other young adults in the car with her had I been there at the time.

As for talking on a mobile as you drive, I can't tell you how many people I have come close to getting hit by or hitting because they were so wrapped up in their conversations and not giving an ounce of thought to their driving. One person was so into her conversation, she didn't hear me hit my brakes (I came to a screeching halt as she turned out in front of me) and then my horn. She just kept going her merry way, conversation uninterrupted.

[djm]

They all gasped when the final frame was "Have Fun...," etc.

I think that goes to show where the "hard hitting" concept is hitting at: everyone except the target audience. The target audience is sitting there with their little gears turning round and round saying, "Oh yeah, this is coming from adults, so we already know where they're going with all this stuff so we can just tune them right out." (worked for me)

DON'T WHISTLE WHILE DRIVING!

What about singing or humming? I was driving home tonight sort of watching the sun go down, and I just couldn't help humming Canadian Sunset to myself.

djm

[Dale]

They all gasped when the final frame was "Have Fun...," etc.

I think that goes to show where the "hard hitting" concept is hitting at: everyone except the target audience. The target audience is sitting there with their little gears turning round and round saying, "Oh yeah, this is coming from adults, so we already know where they're going with all this stuff so we can just tune them right out." (worked for me)

I'm not following you.

[BigDavy]

Hi Dale

Re mobile phones and driving you might find This Abstract of interest.

David

[Tyler]

I could be fairly accused of being preoccupied by the crash rate and fatality rate among young drivers. See my website www.parentingteendrivers.com .

Here's part of what we're up against. Go to the following link and run the 30 second video called "Roller Coaster."

http://www.jeep.com/en/2009/tv_commercials/gallery/

Thanks.


Dale

I'm boycotting Ford for the chase scene in Bullit, Honda/Acura/Toyota/Mitsubishi for race scenes in The Fast and the Furious, and Chevy for letting us think that Autobots would stoop to being GM cars.
James Bond drove a tricked out 900 Turbo in the early eighties novels, so there goes Saab (damnit, now I gotta sell my 900 Turbo, thanks a smeggingbuncharoonie)
Herbie nixes Volkswagen, Bert Reynolds nukes Pontiac, and Michael Kane kills Mini.
Jason Statham boots Audi and BMW in one fell swoop, my buddy built a ten second street legal drag racer out of a Hyundai and Volvos are ugly.

[dwest]

Someone brought up cell phones. Let me take this opportunity to beg everyone who reads this to stop using your cell phones when you drive. I have been guilty of this myself and recently resolved to stop and -- so far so good. (About 3 weeks of sobriety!)
Dale

Excellent! there hasn't been a study that doesn't show the negative impact of phone use while driving. I had a shuttle driver from a car repair shop tell me the other day that his daughter texts approximately 12,000 times a month (I thought he was pulling my leg but I guess she is under average) much if it to her boy friend while he is driving to and from her home 45 miles from his, at night.

[Coffee]

About the cell phone thing... has any research been done to ascertain whether talking to a passenger in the car with you is as dangerous?

[cowtime]

Hey that's me on my mail route.

Well the ride feels like that anyway. I will say that the new Wranglers do handle just a bit better, but still handle lousy. Oh, and they don't tell you that the tires that come on the thing would have blown-out at the first big bump. I only got 10,000 miles and several flats on my originals-but then I really do have some awful dirt road that I travel every day.

No kid should ever get behind the wheel of a Wrangler, ever. I've never figured out why anyone would buy one of the things, other than someone like me, who has no other choice for a factory RHD.

[djm]

I'm not following you.

You were pointing out that the kids were surprised when the video showed them scenes of people ripping up the countryside and ended up telling them to have fun. I'm suggesting that the kids were surprised because they were already mentally prepared for another, "Now, children, don't you go speeding and having fun," -type video, and were already set to block you/your message out.

That's why I don't think shock messages are very effective. Kids look at the source (parents/teachers/adults), not the material, to decide whether to listen or not. Sure they are shocked that you might allow them to view graphic violence at school where they know they are normally supposed to act all prim and proper and nothing bad ever happens, but I don't know that there is any associative connection in kids minds between the violence on the film and the message you want to stay with them: that although cars are really fun and really cool, they must resist the urge to have fun and the excitement of speeding and showing off and impressing their friends.

Wanna race?

djm

[sbfluter]

As someone who rides a bicycle, walks and rides a motorscooter I can tell you that none of you who use cellphones while driving can do it well.