Table of Contents

Instructions for this report

Introduction

What do television shows tell us driving behaviors?

Examples of driving in the movies

And exactly what are these commercials selling us?

How does all this affect us?

Suggestions for future generations
 
 

For most of us, television has played a big part in shaping our views of the world.  Everything from who is considered beautiful, to our own gender roles have been defined in part by what we've seen on the "tube".  Shows like Sesame Street taught us how to count, our ABC's, even other languages, but not everything on the TV has been beneficial to our upbringing.  The television also introduced us to a whole new world filled with violence, sex, drugs, and yes...CRAZY DRIVING!

How many car chases can we remember seeing in the past year, much less our entire lives?  It seems that every time we turn the TV on we're seeing someone peeling around a corner, outrunning the police, and crashing cars all over the city!  Movie studios and music video producers spend millions of dollars on colossal chase sceens that usually end in a city full of totaled vehicles, and the perpetrator of all the chaos getting away without a scratch!  For those of us who have grown up with these images the lines between fantasy and reality are pretty clear, but how many times have we found ourselves just a little above the speed limit thinking to ourselves, "I'm in control, I've seen this done a thousand times!"

In this report I will attempt to look at the effects of these shows on our attitudes regarding driving.  Starting with television, I'll look at some of the most popular shows in the last 20 years, and what these shows continually fed us with their souped-up cars and spectacular stunts.  I'll also look at movies in the same way, and finish up with some of the commercials that are airing today.  Hopefully by the time I'm done, I'll have shed some light on the subject!
 
 

I remember when I was young, my favorite show was the "the Dukes of Hazzard" *.  I'd watch that show all the time, re-runs and everything.  I used to love watching them outrun Deputy Rosco Pico Trainee over and over again after a high speed chase through the town, country, and maybe over a lake or two.  Yeah, Bo and Luke were my heroes for a time - I even built a model of the General Lee.  Funny thing about Hazzard county though, I never remember seeing anything but white people in town, and wait, wasn't there a Confederate flag on the roof of the General Lee?  Hmmm...Well that's beside the point.  What I'm really getting at is the impression that Bo and Luke left on me.  What could be more fun than running around town jumping lakes, shooting arrows at other cars, and outsmarting the police.  I mean, no one ever got hurt, right?
 

This is pretty much all I really remember about the show.  I mean, I can remember the cast (who could forget Daisy Duke?), but I can't recall the subject of one single episode.  This gives you an idea of the kinds of images that stick in my head after watching a show like this for a couple years!  The scary part is, I'm sure I'm not the only one who watched this show.  That means how many others out there grew up with these images of driving?

The Dukes of Hazzard wasn't the only show that demonstrated reckless driving though, in fact, there were many.  Cartoons were the worst!  In cartoons one could wreck their car until there was just one wheel left - and STILL come out unscathed!  This is another example of how television provides us with a false sense of security.  They tell us that getting in a big car accident is OK, and that we won't be hurt.  They tell us that it's OK to be reckless when your behind the wheel because you'll never get caught (if you're a good driver like Bo and Luke Duke).  But worst of all, they told us all this when (most of us) were at a very impressionable age.

Now the network can't really be blamed for these kind of things, nor can the producers of the show.  They're just airing what the people want to see - fantasy.  It's really up to the family to explain the difference between fantasy and reality to their children.  The problem is, I doubt that anyone ever really saw the need to do so.

Another show that was a big hit when I was young was the animated cartoon "Speed Racer"**.  In this show, the good guy (Speed) is in a constant battle with the bad guy (Racer X) and his legion of army drivers.  Although Speed is fighting for good in the show, it's all based around his fast car, and all the marvelous tricks it can do (such as jumping, cutting, spikes in the tires, etc...).  With lots of crashes and explosions, it's a miracle that (again) nobody dies in these cartoons.  Regarding how these behaviors affected our generation...Let's just say that to this day I still see people wearing Speed Racer T-Shirts!  Oh, did I mention that numerous times throughout the show a small child and his monkey sidekick stow away in the trunk of his car where there are NO SEAT BELTS!?

*The Dukes of Hazzard still airs on CMT - The Country Music Station.  Check your local listings for details.
**Speed Racer airs sporaticaly on MTV - Music Television.  You might have to be patient to catch this one.
 
 

Just the other day I was flipping through the channels on TV and I ran across an interesting image.  A taxi cab was hovering about a 1/2 mile above the surface of the city, and below it all you could see were steady streams of cars going in all directions until they were lost in the clouds.  Street after street on top of each other, all speeding along, all irritated at the pace traffic was moving.  The movie was "The Fifth Element", and it starred Bruce Willis as the Taxi cab driver, and Chris Tucker as a space-age radio jock.  It was interesting that even in the future, this movie predicts that we will still have problems with traffic conjestion.  Bruce Willis doesn't seem to mind though, when his car conveniently tells him that his traffic "points" have exceeded the limit and that his license has expired, he just rips the whole system out and does a nose dive through all the layers of cars beneath him.  Of course he's being chased by the cops at the time, and eventually ends up losing them.

Another movie that demonstrates portrayals of bad driving is "Blues Brothers 2000".  Staring Dan Akroyd and John Goodman, BB2000 is the sequal to the 1980's "Blues Brothers" that originally started as a skit for Saturday Night Live.  During one of many car chases between the BB's and (of course) the police, the BB's make their getaway when a police pile-up of about 20-30 cars blocks the road.  The scene literally goes on and on with cars flipping and flying all over the place for about 10 minutes.  In the end nobody's hurt, and the (good guys?) get away.  This is yet another example of how speeding, reckless driving, and evading the authorities are awarded with a clean escape.

Speaking of destroying city streets and other people's vehicles, who could forget "The Terminator" and
"T2 Judgement Day" where Arnold Swartzeneger drives around destroying any part of LA that man built. Movies like this are built on theme of mas distruction, wild rides, and total disregard for the properties of others.  In Terminator 1, Arnold goes riding around LA shooting at cops, crashing into creeks (while driving in a semi) in Receda, and blowing up police stations.  Great action, but what is it telling the kids?
 
 

Have you seen the Isuzu Outback commercial yet?  How about any BMW, Porshe, or Mercedes commercial?  If you have then you've seen exactly what they want you to believe...Buy this car and the streets are yours!  You can drive 100mph through the city, country, or freeway and nobody will bother you.  It's just you and the road - go baby GO!

I'll tell you what, I drive a black '95 BMW 325i with a sports suspention package everyday.  Last time I got to really drive it...I can't think back that far!  To me (since I've moved to Hawai'i) pushing it is if I hit 80 on the way to Waianae!  This is what the dealers don't want you to remember, that in actuality you'll probably rarley get the chance to really open 'er up.  That all that money you're about to spend will do most of it's time in traffic doing 5mph!

The Isuzu commercial has it's owner plowing through the mud, splashing through terrain that would definately prove unsuitable for most vehicles.  But not you! You've bought a truck that will get you through the toughest times, the most unbearable terrain, the worst weather, right?  Think again.  Many truck owners that I spoke to said that they rarely, if ever even use their 4-wheel drive system, OR go off-road.  Most people just like the looks of a big truck or Jeep, but never really plan to use them for what their made for.  That's why many of them come with the 2-wheel drive option.
 
 

I think that by instilling all these images in our heads from such a young age, we grow up with distorted ideas of what a driver is supposed to be like.  Driving is cool, having a car gets chicks, need for speed and all that.  These distortions take away from what's most important, responsibility.  Growing up as a male in this society tells us that the man always drives, and that it's a "macho" thing to do.  Pick up your date, impress her with your skills behind the wheel (speeding, taking turns), and pull up to the club with a hot car, and even hotter chick.

Around other men it's always a matter of how fast your car is, how much it's worth, what kind of stereo you have...but you never hear a guy bragging about his perfect driving record!  It's more like, "yeah, I had a cop chasing me for three miles before I got pulled over.  I didn't even realize I was doing 120(mph)!"  Classic Dukes Syndrome.  I think children need to understand at a young age the importance of responsible driving from a young age.  I know I didn't learn until it was almost too late.  After flipping 5 times in a car that was going way to fast for the weather, I rarely speed and I always wear my seatbelt.  If I hadn't had a belt on that night, I wouldn't be writing this paper right now.  And that's the fact Jack!
 

I think that it would help the future generations to actually go out and conduct some interviews with children about their favorite shows, what they think about driving, what kind of cars do they like, etc...  The purpose of this would be to see at what age they start developing ideas of what driving is all about, and where they're getting these ideas from.