The International Telecommunication Union, the global wireless standards-setting organization, has stated that 4G is defined as a network capable of download speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps). That's fast enough to download an average high-definition movie in about three minutes.
None of the cell phone networks meet that standard.
Sprint was the first to launch a network called 4G earlier this year. Then, T-Mobile launched its 4G network and Verizon plans to launch its 4G network by the end of the year. Each claims to be the fastest or largest, but it all amounts to smoke and mirrors.
The speeds of these networks, theoretical at best, are a mere one fifth to a half that of the official 4G standard. And actual speeds are just a tenth of "real" 4G.
So why are they lying to us? And more than this do they really think we won’t find out?
As usual, it’s a matter of PR. They are each, quite simply, trying to get our money by claiming they offer more than the next guy. Even if they have to lie to do it. Why do we consumers put up with this level of disrespect from these guys? Or from any company?
Sprint and Verizon have new, faster networks that are still technically not 4G, while T-Mobile has an old, though still faster network that is actually based on 3G technology.
Companies need to be honest with what they are actually selling us. Waiting for us to find out after the sale that we are not getting what was promised is patently wrong and only leads to malcontent from the very people that keep them in business.
Give us what you promise and have faith that we will make the right decision.
For more details on this story check out CNN.
Showing posts with label advertising. Show all posts
Showing posts with label advertising. Show all posts
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Friday, February 22, 2008
Buyer Beware: HD DVD players are obsolete!
With the recent news that Toshiba has abandoned the High Definition DVD format technology for Blu-ray, several retailers are taking the despicable move to rename the HD DVD player in hopes of fooling the consumer into thinking they are getting something else.
Play.com has renamed Toshiba’s "HD-EP30 HD DVD Player" (as it was known on February 15th) is now listed as the "HD-EP30 HDMI Upscaling Player with HD DVD High Definition Playback."
Circuit City renamed Toshiba’s HD-A3 as an “Upconversion DVD/HD-DVD Player."
How many others have followed suit, I don't know, but beware.
In all fairness, the players do ‘upscale’ the HD DVD, but it depends on your TV as to whether or not an upscaling DVD player is worth the price. Your set may already be able to perform ths function. If you have an older CRT-based set you will most likely not see any improvement. Your DVD will probably not display any improvement over current HD television broadcasts.
Toshiba’s explanation for dropping the format: "We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called 'next-generation format war' and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop," said Atsutoshi Nishida, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation. "While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality."
Toshiba will continue, however, to provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD products.
This decision will not impact Toshiba's commitment to standard DVD, and the company will continue to market conventional DVD players and recorders.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/19/top-ten-things-to-do-with-your-now-defunct-hd-dvd-player/ offers a humorous list of suggestions on how to get the now defunct HD DVD players out of your life.
Just make sure you research what you are getting before plunking down your money, even if it is at a sale price it could be outdated.
Play.com has renamed Toshiba’s "HD-EP30 HD DVD Player" (as it was known on February 15th) is now listed as the "HD-EP30 HDMI Upscaling Player with HD DVD High Definition Playback."
Circuit City renamed Toshiba’s HD-A3 as an “Upconversion DVD/HD-DVD Player."
How many others have followed suit, I don't know, but beware.
In all fairness, the players do ‘upscale’ the HD DVD, but it depends on your TV as to whether or not an upscaling DVD player is worth the price. Your set may already be able to perform ths function. If you have an older CRT-based set you will most likely not see any improvement. Your DVD will probably not display any improvement over current HD television broadcasts.
Toshiba’s explanation for dropping the format: "We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called 'next-generation format war' and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop," said Atsutoshi Nishida, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation. "While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality."
Toshiba will continue, however, to provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD products.
This decision will not impact Toshiba's commitment to standard DVD, and the company will continue to market conventional DVD players and recorders.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/19/top-ten-things-to-do-with-your-now-defunct-hd-dvd-player/ offers a humorous list of suggestions on how to get the now defunct HD DVD players out of your life.
Just make sure you research what you are getting before plunking down your money, even if it is at a sale price it could be outdated.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Who benefits from car crash tests?
Crash tests are not real world tests. They are geared toward the automobile industry. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a private organization funded by auto insurers, determines how a vehicle will withstand a crash in respect to how it will protect the passengers of the vehicle.
Sounds like a noble organization who keeps the buying public’s best interest at heart, doesn’t it? But are we really being given the whole truth?
I’m not saying that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety fudges test results for the benefit of auto makers. Insurance companies use the results of these tests in determining how to insure these vehicles.
My biggest problem with these tests is they are not ‘real world’ enough to be of any real use to the average everyday driver.
Front end tests crashes are not full frontal, they are ‘offset impacts’, meaning the vehicle strikes a barrier with just one side of its front end. What is the result of a full frontal crash? Why not tell us those results? The test is performed at 40 mph. Why not 55 mph or the more realistic 65-75 mph (and higher) that people actually drive regardless of the posted speed limit of 55 or 65?
Side crashes are done at a slower speed of 31 mph. Why not 35-45 mph which is more realistic? Because, again, people travel at these speeds despite the posted 25-40 mph speed limit.
Rear end tests are performed at an even more ridiculously lower speed of 20 mph. Why not the 35-45 mph which is more realistic? Because, again, people travel at these speeds despite the posted 25-40 mph speed limit.
How about the results of a full front end into the rear of another vehicle at 40-55 mph? How would either vehicle fair from that crash?
The reason they don’t perform these test at ‘real world’ speeds under ‘real world’ conditions is because that would do far more damage to the vehicle than the public wants to see and would cut into vehicle sales.
Another problem I have with these tests is how the auto makers spin the results to sell their vehicles.
The auto industry gets to choose whichever result favors their vehicle and that is the result the public sees.
Chrysler said the government gave them 5-star ratings across the board even after the institute gave them less than five. A clear case of Chrysler lying to sell its product.
Who do we trust? The car makers only want to sell their vehicles so they don’t want the public to see all of the results. The only reason vehicles have airbags and other safety features is because auto makers are forced to build their vehicles this way by the government.
The auto industry takes these figures and spins them to their benefit and the consumer is not being informed as to the true results. The auto industry figures it is not their responsibility to inform the public of anything except how sleek their new vehicle looks, or how much fun you can have if you drive their vehicle, or how fast it will go (Why does it have to go fast??). Safety rarely gets mentioned unless it is to brag how their vehicle stood up against a competitor in a front end crash. They don’t tell you that that same vehicle failed miserably in side and rear crash tests or that the front end test was a low speed test and was not a full head-on crash.
After the test results are filtered through the automakers advertisers embellishing process, how accurate and helpful is this information?
If these test results were advertised as well as the automakers advertise their vehicles, we would be a much better informed public. Better informed as to which vehicle is truly safer and which automaker resorts to using half-truths to sell their product.
In light of this, Are we really being protected?
Presumably, these tests are to inform the consumer, but just who are these tests truly performed for?
These little white lies and concealed truths erode the integrity of sellers and destroys the trust consumers should feel when trying to decide who to give their hard earned dollars to when trying to determine which vehicle is the safest for their family. This commonly known truism is once again pushed aside in the pursuit of profit.
Sounds like a noble organization who keeps the buying public’s best interest at heart, doesn’t it? But are we really being given the whole truth?
I’m not saying that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety fudges test results for the benefit of auto makers. Insurance companies use the results of these tests in determining how to insure these vehicles.
My biggest problem with these tests is they are not ‘real world’ enough to be of any real use to the average everyday driver.
Front end tests crashes are not full frontal, they are ‘offset impacts’, meaning the vehicle strikes a barrier with just one side of its front end. What is the result of a full frontal crash? Why not tell us those results? The test is performed at 40 mph. Why not 55 mph or the more realistic 65-75 mph (and higher) that people actually drive regardless of the posted speed limit of 55 or 65?
Side crashes are done at a slower speed of 31 mph. Why not 35-45 mph which is more realistic? Because, again, people travel at these speeds despite the posted 25-40 mph speed limit.
Rear end tests are performed at an even more ridiculously lower speed of 20 mph. Why not the 35-45 mph which is more realistic? Because, again, people travel at these speeds despite the posted 25-40 mph speed limit.
How about the results of a full front end into the rear of another vehicle at 40-55 mph? How would either vehicle fair from that crash?
The reason they don’t perform these test at ‘real world’ speeds under ‘real world’ conditions is because that would do far more damage to the vehicle than the public wants to see and would cut into vehicle sales.
Another problem I have with these tests is how the auto makers spin the results to sell their vehicles.
The auto industry gets to choose whichever result favors their vehicle and that is the result the public sees.
Chrysler said the government gave them 5-star ratings across the board even after the institute gave them less than five. A clear case of Chrysler lying to sell its product.
Who do we trust? The car makers only want to sell their vehicles so they don’t want the public to see all of the results. The only reason vehicles have airbags and other safety features is because auto makers are forced to build their vehicles this way by the government.
The auto industry takes these figures and spins them to their benefit and the consumer is not being informed as to the true results. The auto industry figures it is not their responsibility to inform the public of anything except how sleek their new vehicle looks, or how much fun you can have if you drive their vehicle, or how fast it will go (Why does it have to go fast??). Safety rarely gets mentioned unless it is to brag how their vehicle stood up against a competitor in a front end crash. They don’t tell you that that same vehicle failed miserably in side and rear crash tests or that the front end test was a low speed test and was not a full head-on crash.
After the test results are filtered through the automakers advertisers embellishing process, how accurate and helpful is this information?
If these test results were advertised as well as the automakers advertise their vehicles, we would be a much better informed public. Better informed as to which vehicle is truly safer and which automaker resorts to using half-truths to sell their product.
In light of this, Are we really being protected?
Presumably, these tests are to inform the consumer, but just who are these tests truly performed for?
These little white lies and concealed truths erode the integrity of sellers and destroys the trust consumers should feel when trying to decide who to give their hard earned dollars to when trying to determine which vehicle is the safest for their family. This commonly known truism is once again pushed aside in the pursuit of profit.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Americans: ‘fatter and dumber’
Democratic presidential candidate Mike Gravel made this statement on an online Democratic candidate forum yesterday, Sep 13, 2007. He said that American people are getting fatter and dumber.
He may not win any votes making this statement, but he is absolutely correct in his assessment. I will take this opportunity to add two other adjectives that immediately come to mind, ‘Apathetic’ (which is why politicians can get away with the crap they do) and ‘Lazy’ (which is why immigrants have gained such a foothold in the U.S.). There are several others but I will spare you my take on the full picture of what we have become.
Look around you and make your own honest assessment of your fellow Americans, and yourself.
What is the percentage of overweight people around you? Do you see more overweight people than you did, say, 10 years ago or even five? How many people do you know who exercise regularly? How many eat balanced diets? How many eat at fast food restaurants? Are you overweight? Do you exercise regularly?
Ask high school level questions of those people you know. How many people can do math beyond simple addition and subtraction, without using their fingers? Multiplication and, especially, division really tax most peoples minds. How many people can tell you who our first three presidents were? How about geography, how many people know what the capital of Pakistan is, or Iraq, or Afghanistan, or even where these countries are? These countries are part of current events so it is not unfair to ask these questions.
How many people do you know punctuate their speech with these words: “like” and “you know” and “kind of” and “sort of”? Here’s an example, “I was, kind of like, blah blah blah, like, sort of blah blah, you know?” High school English teachers everywhere cringe when they hear high school graduates speak like this. But then again there are more and more high school teachers speaking like this too. Have they given up and just going with the crowd to get along? Do they realize they have lost the battle to educate kids who see no real reason for going to school other than the fact that they are forced to be there. Or is it that this is what they have been exposed to all their lives and therefore this is all they know of how to speak?
Seriously, our overall education has been going down the tubes for a very long time. Kids don’t see the importance of learning anything from school. It is up to the parents to instill in them the need to learn everyday, everything they can about everything. How many parents really care about education? Very few. Their only incentive to go to school is to get it over with so they become adult and do ‘fun’ adult things, like drive their own car, and drink legally. These are not very lofty goals. These kids have no idea what it means to be an adult. They see their parents go through the routine of leaving in the morning to go to work somewhere and then there is food on the table and they get clothes to wear and they might get an allowance for some menial job around the house. But they don’t really know the real reason for an education.
How many people do you know actually pick up a newspaper or browse the internet for real, meaningful news of current events? I am not talking about the entertainment section or the fashion news or sports. I’m talking real life hard hitting facts about the state of our world and nation that affects each and everyone of us. How many people turn to a radio for other than the latest top musical hits, this being the only reason they ever turn on a radio?
How many people turn on the television for any real news? Actually this question is unfair, because there is nothing worth learning on commercial television. Even the news programs have turned to an entertainment slant. The only exception is Public Television and they have to beg for money to keep them going. In general, television has become a vast wasteland of meaningless entertainment geared toward the lowest common denominator. The number of commercials have become obscene. Advertisers have become obnoxious in their attempts to sell us inane, meaningless crap that none of us really need, especially new cars. Have you seen the proliferation of ‘reality’ shows? This concept is one of the biggest piles of dung that television has ever produced. And the fact that they are so popular goes a long way toward telling just how dumb we Americans have become.
How many people do you know actually vote? And of those people, how many make informed decisions about a candidate or issue based on what they read and not what they accidentally heard in a ‘sound bite’ on the radio news at the top of the hour while waiting for their music to come back on?
There are people who can recite sports stats about all of their favorite athletes and cannot tell you who our vice president or speaker of the house is. There are people who can tell you the names of every person their favorite celebrity has ever screwed or screwed over but can’t tell you why we are exploring outer space. And there are way too many people who think that looks count for more than anything else. Unfortunately, these very same people get into positions of hiring people and hire only ‘pretty’ people or sexually promiscuous people who are under-qualified for the position while the person who has spent their life educating themselves for that position go unrewarded and under-valued.
These are all basically intelligent people, they just don’t see any reason to apply themselves beyond what they need to get by on a daily basis. Those people who do have a genuine desire to get an education are already so far ahead of those who just go through the motions but things have gotten so bad that even education does not guarantee you success.
Why do we need to know current events? Why should we be as healthy as we can be except to satisfy our own narcissistic reasons? All you have to do to get a job is ‘look good’ and ‘suck up’ to the right people. Then when you are in the door, all you have to do to ‘climb the ladder’ is to ‘look good’ and ‘suck up’ to the right people. This is very cynical, I know. But I have been bypassed during my working life by these people and I know many others who have been as well. Education does not have as high a value as ‘looking good’ and ‘sucking up’. Just look at Hollywood to see what I mean. You get the vast majority of those people away from their cue cards and their writers and see just how under-educated and shallow these people really are.
Let’s face it America, we are getting fatter, we are getting dumber. It is a fact that only we can change. Do we have the drive to make that change? Sadly, I don’t think so. And this is where those other two adjectives I spoke of earlier, “Lazy” and “Apathetic”, come into play. If we had the drive to keep ourselves fit and well educated we would not have let ourselves go in the first place. I challenge everyone to prove me wrong but I’m not going to bet on it happening.
He may not win any votes making this statement, but he is absolutely correct in his assessment. I will take this opportunity to add two other adjectives that immediately come to mind, ‘Apathetic’ (which is why politicians can get away with the crap they do) and ‘Lazy’ (which is why immigrants have gained such a foothold in the U.S.). There are several others but I will spare you my take on the full picture of what we have become.
Look around you and make your own honest assessment of your fellow Americans, and yourself.
What is the percentage of overweight people around you? Do you see more overweight people than you did, say, 10 years ago or even five? How many people do you know who exercise regularly? How many eat balanced diets? How many eat at fast food restaurants? Are you overweight? Do you exercise regularly?
Ask high school level questions of those people you know. How many people can do math beyond simple addition and subtraction, without using their fingers? Multiplication and, especially, division really tax most peoples minds. How many people can tell you who our first three presidents were? How about geography, how many people know what the capital of Pakistan is, or Iraq, or Afghanistan, or even where these countries are? These countries are part of current events so it is not unfair to ask these questions.
How many people do you know punctuate their speech with these words: “like” and “you know” and “kind of” and “sort of”? Here’s an example, “I was, kind of like, blah blah blah, like, sort of blah blah, you know?” High school English teachers everywhere cringe when they hear high school graduates speak like this. But then again there are more and more high school teachers speaking like this too. Have they given up and just going with the crowd to get along? Do they realize they have lost the battle to educate kids who see no real reason for going to school other than the fact that they are forced to be there. Or is it that this is what they have been exposed to all their lives and therefore this is all they know of how to speak?
Seriously, our overall education has been going down the tubes for a very long time. Kids don’t see the importance of learning anything from school. It is up to the parents to instill in them the need to learn everyday, everything they can about everything. How many parents really care about education? Very few. Their only incentive to go to school is to get it over with so they become adult and do ‘fun’ adult things, like drive their own car, and drink legally. These are not very lofty goals. These kids have no idea what it means to be an adult. They see their parents go through the routine of leaving in the morning to go to work somewhere and then there is food on the table and they get clothes to wear and they might get an allowance for some menial job around the house. But they don’t really know the real reason for an education.
How many people do you know actually pick up a newspaper or browse the internet for real, meaningful news of current events? I am not talking about the entertainment section or the fashion news or sports. I’m talking real life hard hitting facts about the state of our world and nation that affects each and everyone of us. How many people turn to a radio for other than the latest top musical hits, this being the only reason they ever turn on a radio?
How many people turn on the television for any real news? Actually this question is unfair, because there is nothing worth learning on commercial television. Even the news programs have turned to an entertainment slant. The only exception is Public Television and they have to beg for money to keep them going. In general, television has become a vast wasteland of meaningless entertainment geared toward the lowest common denominator. The number of commercials have become obscene. Advertisers have become obnoxious in their attempts to sell us inane, meaningless crap that none of us really need, especially new cars. Have you seen the proliferation of ‘reality’ shows? This concept is one of the biggest piles of dung that television has ever produced. And the fact that they are so popular goes a long way toward telling just how dumb we Americans have become.
How many people do you know actually vote? And of those people, how many make informed decisions about a candidate or issue based on what they read and not what they accidentally heard in a ‘sound bite’ on the radio news at the top of the hour while waiting for their music to come back on?
There are people who can recite sports stats about all of their favorite athletes and cannot tell you who our vice president or speaker of the house is. There are people who can tell you the names of every person their favorite celebrity has ever screwed or screwed over but can’t tell you why we are exploring outer space. And there are way too many people who think that looks count for more than anything else. Unfortunately, these very same people get into positions of hiring people and hire only ‘pretty’ people or sexually promiscuous people who are under-qualified for the position while the person who has spent their life educating themselves for that position go unrewarded and under-valued.
These are all basically intelligent people, they just don’t see any reason to apply themselves beyond what they need to get by on a daily basis. Those people who do have a genuine desire to get an education are already so far ahead of those who just go through the motions but things have gotten so bad that even education does not guarantee you success.
Why do we need to know current events? Why should we be as healthy as we can be except to satisfy our own narcissistic reasons? All you have to do to get a job is ‘look good’ and ‘suck up’ to the right people. Then when you are in the door, all you have to do to ‘climb the ladder’ is to ‘look good’ and ‘suck up’ to the right people. This is very cynical, I know. But I have been bypassed during my working life by these people and I know many others who have been as well. Education does not have as high a value as ‘looking good’ and ‘sucking up’. Just look at Hollywood to see what I mean. You get the vast majority of those people away from their cue cards and their writers and see just how under-educated and shallow these people really are.
Let’s face it America, we are getting fatter, we are getting dumber. It is a fact that only we can change. Do we have the drive to make that change? Sadly, I don’t think so. And this is where those other two adjectives I spoke of earlier, “Lazy” and “Apathetic”, come into play. If we had the drive to keep ourselves fit and well educated we would not have let ourselves go in the first place. I challenge everyone to prove me wrong but I’m not going to bet on it happening.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Car Advertisements add to the problem
I saw a car commercial last night that just summed up a major problem with the way drivers view their automobiles and the way in which they drive them.
The ad was for something called an Odyssey, I don’t know who makes this thing but they really should be more responsible then to allow this to be a selling point of their vehicle. I had the sound muted, as I always do with car commercials (they seem to dominate the commercial airwaves and are usually BS anyway), but what I saw was a woman passenger holding onto a handle that was hung from the ceiling while smiling with anticipation as if she was on an amusement ride. The male driver was gripping the steering wheel and accelerating around a mountain curve, also smiling. Now with the sound muted it was very easy to see what the advertiser wanted to get across to the buying public, and that is that you can now drive even faster around curves. Now, I wonder, why do we have to drive faster around curves? I also noticed that there were no other vehicles on the road. There never is in car commercials (unless the advertiser wants to show how easy it is to pass everyone else) and sometimes they tell you in very small print and very briefly that the driver is a professional on a closed course. Of course the general public does not remember this part of the commercial. The general public sees this commercial with these people having a good ole time racing around a curve without a thought to what might be driving a little bit slower than they are around that curve or what might be passing another vehicle in their lane heading for them around that curve. But, hey, let’s go faster and have fun.
Another car commercial that never ceases to amaze me uses zoom, zoom, zoom as its mantra. As if they are selling race cars. Let’s all drive faster.
Then still another commercial that I only saw once, thank goodness, (they must have pulled it) was of a young boy having a vision of racing a car and the father telling his son that when he grows up he too can drive fast like that race car driver.
Have you ever seen a young child get behind the steering wheel of a car sitting in a driveway or parking lot pretending to drive? What does the child emulate while picturing himself driving? Twisting the steering wheel and going fast while making racing car sounds. Why are we teaching our children this behavior? Why are we teaching them that behind the wheel they can go as fast they want? Why not teach them about driving safely? The vehicle is merely a tool to take us from one place to the next not a means of getting there fast.
By the time these children grow up and get behind the wheel of an automobile after seeing all these car commercials the only thing on their minds is how fast can they go. They have these images of how fun it is to drive, to be free to go anywhere they want. They think of this as a sign of growing up, and it is. But how many are truly safety conscious? How many are told that they should be safety conscious? How many are aware of their responsibility to the safety of everyone else on the road? How many are picking up bad driving habits from their parents?
Safety consciousness is certainly not coming from the DMV. The DMV is only viewed as an obstacle to most people that must be overcome in order to drive. How many people actually take what they have learned in getting their drivers license to the road with them? How many people driving today would not have had their drivers license if they had missed one more question?
Cars are not amusement rides people. Safety should be foremost with every driver of every vehicle every time they get behind the wheel regardless of what car commercials tell or show you.
Car manufacturers need to endorse driving these vehicles safely, not how you can get from 0-60 in 4.4 seconds or how you can pass everyone on the road. Subliminal advertising is a well known fact in the advertising world and is used by every advertiser, please be responsible in its use.
The ad was for something called an Odyssey, I don’t know who makes this thing but they really should be more responsible then to allow this to be a selling point of their vehicle. I had the sound muted, as I always do with car commercials (they seem to dominate the commercial airwaves and are usually BS anyway), but what I saw was a woman passenger holding onto a handle that was hung from the ceiling while smiling with anticipation as if she was on an amusement ride. The male driver was gripping the steering wheel and accelerating around a mountain curve, also smiling. Now with the sound muted it was very easy to see what the advertiser wanted to get across to the buying public, and that is that you can now drive even faster around curves. Now, I wonder, why do we have to drive faster around curves? I also noticed that there were no other vehicles on the road. There never is in car commercials (unless the advertiser wants to show how easy it is to pass everyone else) and sometimes they tell you in very small print and very briefly that the driver is a professional on a closed course. Of course the general public does not remember this part of the commercial. The general public sees this commercial with these people having a good ole time racing around a curve without a thought to what might be driving a little bit slower than they are around that curve or what might be passing another vehicle in their lane heading for them around that curve. But, hey, let’s go faster and have fun.
Another car commercial that never ceases to amaze me uses zoom, zoom, zoom as its mantra. As if they are selling race cars. Let’s all drive faster.
Then still another commercial that I only saw once, thank goodness, (they must have pulled it) was of a young boy having a vision of racing a car and the father telling his son that when he grows up he too can drive fast like that race car driver.
Have you ever seen a young child get behind the steering wheel of a car sitting in a driveway or parking lot pretending to drive? What does the child emulate while picturing himself driving? Twisting the steering wheel and going fast while making racing car sounds. Why are we teaching our children this behavior? Why are we teaching them that behind the wheel they can go as fast they want? Why not teach them about driving safely? The vehicle is merely a tool to take us from one place to the next not a means of getting there fast.
By the time these children grow up and get behind the wheel of an automobile after seeing all these car commercials the only thing on their minds is how fast can they go. They have these images of how fun it is to drive, to be free to go anywhere they want. They think of this as a sign of growing up, and it is. But how many are truly safety conscious? How many are told that they should be safety conscious? How many are aware of their responsibility to the safety of everyone else on the road? How many are picking up bad driving habits from their parents?
Safety consciousness is certainly not coming from the DMV. The DMV is only viewed as an obstacle to most people that must be overcome in order to drive. How many people actually take what they have learned in getting their drivers license to the road with them? How many people driving today would not have had their drivers license if they had missed one more question?
Cars are not amusement rides people. Safety should be foremost with every driver of every vehicle every time they get behind the wheel regardless of what car commercials tell or show you.
Car manufacturers need to endorse driving these vehicles safely, not how you can get from 0-60 in 4.4 seconds or how you can pass everyone on the road. Subliminal advertising is a well known fact in the advertising world and is used by every advertiser, please be responsible in its use.
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