Officials consider ban on ‘reckless’ car adverts

Date: 29/01/1998

By Chris Johnstone

TRANSPORT officials in the European Commission are considering drawing up a code of conduct aimed at outlawing car advertisements which encourage reckless and dangerous driving.

Supporters of the initiative believe that it could help to combat bad driving and reduce road deaths throughout the EU. But advertisers and car manufacturers have reacted coolly to the idea.

Officials in Commissioner Neil Kinnock's Directorate-General for transport (DGVII) are currently looking at options for a non-legislative code, but stress that their work "is still in the early stages".

Although Europe's car manufacturers and the advertising industry are cooperating with the Commission as it investigates the idea, there appears to be little enthusiasm for the initiative in either quarter.

"A code would have to be suitable for every country and the rules for driving already differ across the EU. I do not see a solution," said Bernard Adriaensens, managing director of the World Federation of Advertisers.

"What we are looking at is dangerous behaviour. If you had someone driving at 50 to 60 kilometres an hour in a town, that could be dangerous," he explained.

But Adriaensens added that films such as the latest James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies showed far more violently reckless behaviour than any car advertisement.

Car giant General Motors Europe, which has its own internal code of conduct covering its pan-European and national publicity campaigns, also poured cold water on the idea. "We are keenly aware of the responsibility we have as a manufacturer. We certainly do not advertise in a way that would encourage dangerous driving," insisted a company spokesman, adding: "Generally we are not in favour of regulations and codes of conduct telling us what to do."

Critics not only question whether such a code is necessary, but also whether it would have a significant impact on driving habits.

Andriaensens cites the example of the advertising code of conduct for car manufacturers in Germany, claiming there was no real change in the level of accidents before and after the code was introduced.

DGVII's move also appears to have taken the Commission's single market officials by surprise. They are usually responsible for supervising the advertising industry and are currently pushing for an EU-wide code of conduct on what types of advertisements can be banned by national authorities, but were apparently given no prior warning of the transport department's initiative.

DG VII are looking at drawing up a code of conduct aimed at outlawing car advertisements.