Solving serious problems (and other clickbait)

Some would say that my choice of title is inadvisable if I want readers. We'll see. (Statistics available on request.)

Regular readers of my work will know that I have a pet hate of people who drive inconsiderately, dangerously or with an overactive sense of entitlement. I wrote about it here. And I also touched on the subject in a few places in this rather attractive book.

You can probably imagine my opinion of people who make phone calls while driving.

However, seeing the number of people texting or tweeting or updating their Disgracebook status or (for all I know) watching something on Netflix while driving - that makes me long for the days when they were just talking - you know, distracted but still fundamentally looking where they were going.

This week, the police tweeted a new campaign. Here's the poster:

And what an absolute waste of time, money and typography that is.

I'm going to stick my neck out here and suggest that this poster will do absolutely NOTHING WHATSOEVER to reduce the problem of idiot drivers not looking where they're going.

This poster will appeal to those who like to solve a puzzle.

They (We?) will look at it, consider it, work it out, feel slightly smart, get a tiny pleasure rush in that bit of the brain that likes to feel it's doing good work - and then carry on with their (our?) day.

Most people will see a lot of words, not bother to read past the first line and certainly won't read the tiny print at the bottom. Did you even notice it?

Utter rubbish. Could I do better? Of course I could. So could you.

I can't draw very well so forgive the crude sketch which I have literally drawn on the back of an envelope.

Clearly a more skillful illustrator might have included a steering wheel and made the sight line more obviously going to the phone rather than to the world outside. But I think it's direct, hard-hitting and clear.

And yes, we can wonder why the child has no knees and is wearing a cardigan. Alternatively we could press for campaigns that are more eye-catching.

It has been done before. In fact, a direct approach was used to tackle a similar problem  - that of teenagers getting distracted by their phones and forgetting basic road safety.



One example looked like this:

And, horrible as it is, the poster is eye-catching and its message is very clear. I was trying to show the moment before - they went straight for the moment after.

Pointless without enforcement

But the best campaign ever in the history of campaigns is destined to fail if there is no enforcement. I have never seen (or heard of) anyone stopped (let alone punished) for driving while staring at a screen.

They're not hard to find. I pass at least ten offenders while walking to and from school. They pootle along the road, staring at their screens, prodding them with their fingers and occasionally glancing up to check that the traffic in front is still moving.

Clearly they feel that what they're doing is fine, that they're entitled to do it and that they are safe drivers, oh yes.

Stop them, fine them, revoke their licences. It wouldn't take many before word got around.

Let's not wait until it becomes normal to stare at screens while driving - and unfashionable to complain about people doing it - and some morons say that any attempt to stop it would be a war on motorists. In the same way that going after people driving way over the speed limit is, apparently, a war on motorists.

There's only one war against motorists

And that's the one being waged by other motorists. Trying to get people to drive safely and within the law is not an example of the nanny state.

Go on - argue with me. I dare you.