Advertising Standards Authority
The car industry spends tens of millions every year on advertising. None of it promotes road safety - much of it does the reverse.
They are not supposed to use speed or aggression to advertise cars, but they find ways round it by using blurred backgrounds, etc to suggest speed.
Many of their adverts are not even that subtle and are truly dangerous and offensive, often appearing on roads where there is a speed problem and sometimes in the wake of pedestrian or cyclist deaths and injuries.
They are supposed to be controlled by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) which is the ad industry's self-regulating body. In practise they do very little about car adverts other than offer copy advice. BCC member have had several complaints upheld - months after the offending ad has disappeared and newer nasties have taken their place.
But it is still good policy to complain. If we don't then they can say that there isn't a problem. Maybe we ought to set up a database of car ad complaints to gather evidence for use in future lobbying - is there a public-spirited web wizard out there who wants to take it on?
Currently, there is a Renault Laguna ad with the slogans Race you for it and Serious Playtime plastered all over Easton. Just a couple of weeks after a 74 year old woman was mown down on the pavement nearby.
The address to complain to is
The Advertising Standards Authority2 Torrington Place, London WC1E 7HW
or
http://www.asa.org.uk
