Stop in and say Hello
Kristy's report included TV commercials, cartoons, serials, movies and music videos. She shares her views and insights on each of the ten driving behaviors. I agree with her when she said that if parents don't give their children the attention they thrive for, they'll look for it elsewhere. One of those places is the TV.
It seems Kristin's report was well planned because it was easy to follow. Although she used TV commercials, cartoons and movies like Kristy Kato's, she took it a little further and added sporting events. It makes sense when she said that we tend to relate to the examples we see on TV when we're behind the wheel of an automobile.
Jennifer's report is much like that of Kristy and Kristen in that she included TV commercials, cartoons, serials and movies. It seemed she too had it well thought out and planned because it's clear, thorough and easy to follow. It's like following directions to get somewhere, that's the feeling I get when I read her report, it's good.
Father's Day - Fried Green Tomatoes - 101 Dalmatians
Day: Friday
Date: 9/27/97
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Program: Video
Name: Father's Day
I had the pleasure of watching a hilarious movie entitled, "Father's Day." Though it was hilarious, I can't say much for some of the driving scenes. Robin William's and Billy Crystal were driving on the freeway with Robin behind the wheel. Apparently, cars were passing and tooting their horn at him. He in turn screamed at them and often made sarcastic remarks. The speed limit on a freeway is usually 50 mph to 55 mph and for slower traffic it's usually 45 mph., well Robin was driving in the vicinity of 25 to 30 mph. He looked horrified behind the wheel and said that when he's really scared he often blacks out, goes unconscious. This scene alone probably took all of 5 minutes.
a). This movie accomplishes several things for one, it tells children that driving slow is okay as long as you drive safely. It also tells children that expressing your feelings by yelling at people is perfectly normal. It tells children that what's most important is how you feel behind the wheel whether or not it may be dangerous for other drivers.
b). Children that see a movie that portrays driving such as this adds to the confusion that going slow is safe and that people who toot their horn at you, make remarks, and even flip you off is perfectly normal. If they can do it to you, then it's okay to return the favor. It tells our children that grown ups look at it as natural, so why not them. Children have the tendency to believe in adults more than they would some cartoon character.
c). There are absolutely no safety precaution being observed here. If there weren't other lanes to move into, there would very possibly be an accident.
I had the chance of watching a very entertaining video called, Fried Green Tomatoes. The scene took place in the parking lot of a super market. Kathy, the driver of this big sedan was waiting for a car to pull out of a stall. As the car pulled out she got ready to drive into it. When it was clear for her to do so, two girls in a Volkswagen bug pulled in the stall with total disregard for Kathy who was patiently waiting for the stall. After the girls got out of their automobile, they looked at Kathy and laughed at her while making a sly remark. Poor Kathy was left alone with no stall, only to contemplate as to what her next move would be. She decided to get back at these girls and started to ram the Volkswagen bug from behind and did it several times. It seemed she was really enjoying it. She said that she might be older, but she has more insurance than they do. The rear end of the bug was totally damaged.
a). This is a very entertaining video and I recommend watching it, but I'm afraid it tells our children that it's okay to have an attitude toward people who take the parking stall that you've been patiently waiting for. It also tells our children that it's okay to sometimes go against the laws of driving especially if you have insurance. Last but not least, ramming a car from behind is perfectly alright when you're upset at them.
b). Although in the movie it seemed like the most natural thing to do, it's not realistic in real life. It may very well happen, but you might say it's almost a rare occasion. It's highly unlikely for anyone to risk their insurance to hit the ceiling.
c). This act of road rage is totally out of line on Kathy's part, no matter how upset she might be. From watching the movie one might be supportive in watching Kathy ram into the Volkswagen, but it's definitely wrong and immoral. It's a total disregard for others property and her safety.
I viewed a Walt Disney movie entitled 101 Dalmatians. It had many driving scenes one in particular was toward the ending of the movie. It showed Cruella Deville chasing a big truck filled with the 101 Dalmatians around winding turns on a hill side. Cruella was driving a high powered limousine. She was trying to run the truck off of the cliff by side swiping, tailgating and ramming the truck from behind. Her two accomplice's were coming up the hill to block the truck off with their old model T. The truck with the Dalmatians swerved out of the path of the on coming model T and it collided into Cruella's car.
a). During this segment of the video, our children might feel that running someone off the side of a hill is okay when you're mad, not thinking of the consequences. Our children might also feel that tailgating and rear bumping is alright. Most of all, our children might feel that displaying anger while driving is perfectly normal.
b). Like the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, this is not realistic. It may happen once in a great while, but highly unlikely. I think even our children recognize the danger of trying to run someone off a cliff.
c). Cruella has no regard for safety. In this movie she was actually trying to hurt with intent. She was violent and out of control.
I enjoyed this movie immensely, but there were several bad driving scenes. The one that I observed for this report was the pizza planet driver. Buzz light and Woody climb aboard to hitch a ride. Woody sat in back of the truck while Buzz light sneaked in front because it had a seat belt. The pizza driver was reckless, swerving side to side, sudden and quick stop and go, and driving very fast with loud music. Woody in back go crushed from the drivers tool box tossing to and fro.
a). I feel that because this is a popular cartoon movie, our children might get the impression that all pizza drivers drive that way. It sends a message that somehow it is essential to get the pizza to the clients the quickest route possible with disregard to all good driving behaviors. It also sends a message to our children that listening to loud music while driving is perfectly okay.
b). This is as close to reality as you can get. It's frightening to know that this type of driving behavior actually happens. I witnessed an accident involving a pizza driver and believe me when I say his driving behavior was similar to Toy Story's pizza planet's driver.
c). Anyone who drives like this is negligent. Safety has no meaning as far as he's concerned. Turning up your stereo as loud as he did is not only a bad habit, it's dangerous!
This commercial basically entailed three people conversing, but the camera focused on each individual's face as they said their lines while showing the advertised car weaving through orange road cones. The car was a Ford mustang sport convertible. It was a thirty second prominent spot. In this particular car commercial, the influencing factors (while the car weaves through the cones) was the powerful words that were used, fast, snappy and it stays with you, and the appearance of how fast the car moved.
a). The children that watch this commercial may get the wrong impression about a car moving fast through cones. The whole idea behind it seems to be that the car shifts easily from side to side while in traffic. This means that if you're late for an appointment than this car can get you quickly and safely there. The slogan, "It stays with you" can be very deceiving, because if you're a reckless driver, then any car that you drive becomes a hazard.
b). This commercial would seem to be very realistic in the eyes of a child. We are all late at sometime in our lives for some activity and if it requires us to drive somewhere, then that can become very dangerous especially when weaving through traffic.
c). It seems safe to drive through cones, but try it in traffic and you'll find a big difference. This commercial is out right negligent of the safety issues concerned. The slogan is meant to catch people who are unaware of its deception. I'm afraid that our children may get caught in this one.
In this commercial, I observed a mini van being driven by a father of a baby sitting in the back seat. At least that's the impression it gave me. Well, the baby had a toy of some kind that had a steering wheel on it. He was playing with the toy turning the wheel when all of a sudden he had full control of the van. His father seemed to be amazed at all of this, but the baby was smiling and drove the car directly to a toy store.
a). I thought this commercial was very cute in that a child could drive such a big van. The only problem I see with this commercial is that, children at the age of around 8 and up would know that this commercial is too far fetched. On the other hand, our younger children may take it seriously a believe that they can drive a van and have fun while doing it. Wouldn't that be great, once behind the wheel they can go to their favorite places, one being the toy store. They may also get the impression that they can do exactly what adults can do. Now, that's a spooky thought.
b). This commercial is cute, but too unrealistic. It absolutely doesn't happen in the real world, if it does, we have some real problematic parents out there.
c). It would definitely be an unsafe practice to let your child behind the wheel of an automobile. The negligence would be on the part of the parents or attending adult. This commercial is unsafe for children under the age of 8.
This commercial portrayed different acts on the Ed Sullivan show. The acts included comedians, animal acts, circus acts and of-course the GMC 4X4. When it was the GMC's turn to perform, everyone stopped to watch. It was making little circles as if to show it has a good turning radius. It drove though the circus act while people got out of his way. He drove over objects on the ground, then through the door that lead back stage. He also drove in the hallway as to say it's narrow enough to do that, and then stopped. The next act said, "How do I follow an act like that?" The voice in the background said, "The first 4X4 that performs like a Mercedes."
a). As an adult, it's great to know that a 4x4 possesses all those qualities, but a child only sees what he sees. He's thinking that this car can actually fit through and be driven through a hallway. The commercial portrays people moving out of the drivers path. This can confuse a child because people always have the right of way. It has the potential of giving a child a false sense of security, because with all the people moving out of his way is telling the child that he's the boss and everyone gets out of your way when you're behind the wheel of a 4X4.
b). The reality of this commercial to a child is very minimal. The only outstanding portrayal is the possibility of driving through a hallway. What you see seems to have a longer affect on your mind than what you hear.
c). The safety issue is basically people moving out of your way while behind the wheel of a car. In this commercial it was intentional negligence on the part of the driver.
I observed a cartoon series called, the Simpsons. The setting took place in New York City where the Simpsons spent their vacation. Homer Simpson recklessly drove his car through a park with people walking and picnicking, and then down a long flight of stairs into a street with bumper to bumper traffic. This program was thirty minutes and this segment took approximately 20 to 30 seconds. In this scene, Homer looked very stressed, as a matter of fact, before he got into the car his mind was on other things. He had just gotten several parking tickets along with a tire lock that looked like the Club for steering wheels. He was in a rage and ignored everything and everyone around him. The tire lock practically destroyed his front fender but it didn't bother Homer because he was determined to reach his destination no matter what obstacles he may encounter.
a). The fact that Homer's car was parked in a no parking tow zone for approximately 24 hours gives the impression that cars aren't towed away, just given a ticket or tickets in Homer's case. Driving through a park and down a pedestrian stair case into on coming traffic is not recommended. In this cartoon series it made it seem as if it's okay. What's even more frightening is it's telling our children that is seems like fun! It also give the impression that when you're in a rush take a chance and break some laws, you won't get caught. Homer Simpson didn't get caught, so what makes you think you will?
b). It would be insane to drive a car down a flight of stairs with people using it. It would also be insane to drive a car in a busy park with people walking, picnicking and sitting on benches. Cars get towed away if left in a no parking zone. This series is not realistic, it just doesn't happen in real life unless you're loony tunes.
c). If you're driving your car into a busy park, down a stair case and into on coming traffic then it is an act of road rage. This part of the cartoon is very dangerous and violent. There seems to be a total disregard for life.
The road runner cartoon is one of my favorites, but I'm convinced that coyote will never catch the road runner. Anyway, there was a scene when the coyote tried to set a trap for the road runner with seeds and some contraption. He set it up right around a hair pin turn, a likely place to set a trap. Just as he was finishing a huge truck came blazing around that turn and all you could hear and see was the horn and the coyote flat as a pancake. The truck never slowed down at all as a matter of fact, he maintained his high speed even after he flattened the poor coyote.
a). Well, if you're driving a truck coming around a hair pin turn, your first instinct will be to slow down, because with the height and weight of the truck there's a strong possibility it could turn over. You don't normally toot your horn for the sake of tooting it, it's usually as a warning for others as well as a reminder for you to be cautious. This is normally followed by slowing down especially if there's a person or an animal on the road. Going around a hair pin turn with a huge truck at high speed is out right dangerous.
b). It's too unrealistic for it happen in real life. It would be suicidal.
c). It's obvious to a grown person that driving fast around a hair pin turn in a truck is an act of negligence, but to a child it would seem normal. Another thing that concerns me about this scene is that children may get the wrong impression about running over animals. In this commercial the coyote gets up and carries on as usual. They may believe that this actually happens in real life.
In this video it had several short story cartoons. This one of Goofy portrayed him in his car driving along very cautiously. It was almost as if the narrator was a student driver instructor. He said to Goofy that it's important to read the signs you come up to while driving. Well, Goofy took it literally and read every sign he saw. This created a problem, drivers were trying to avoid him because he started driving slow and slower and at times stopping just to read the signs. At one point he caused a huge accident involving several bumper to bumper car collisions.
a). It is wise to read the signs you come across, but if it's going to cause you to slow down and eventually come to a near stop, it could cause an accident. Children watching this cartoon would have a higher percent of being influenced positively. For one thing, reading the signs are important, but there may be a consequence if you read every sign while slowing down to do so. It happened to Goofy.
b). This driving behavior actually happens in the real world, but it's usually someone who has trouble with seeing, the language, tourist and a number of other reasons.
c). It's dangerous alright if your focus is on the signs and not your driving. In this cartoon there was total negligence for safety. Goofy caused a pile up of cars because of it. Still, I think this cartoon is a positive one for our children.