Click to play videoMumbai: After seeing an increase in the number of accidents involving two wheelers, Mumbai's traffic police have decided to put the brakes on television advertisements depicting rash driving.
Daredevilry and stunts on television advertisements may catch the eye, and certainly make those long commercial breaks a tad more interesting, but such advertisements are making the Mumbai traffic police frown on the effect it could have on young minds.
“They get affected, they start imitating these advertisements. So we feel there should be some regulations,” Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic HQ, S S Solunke said.
With accidents involving two wheelers are on the rise, the traffic police is now asking the Advertising Standards Council of India to penalise commercials that depict rash driving.
In 2006, there were 96 deaths in accidents involving two-wheelers, more than the 73 deaths involving cars. And last year, while the overall number of fatal traffic accidents came down, there was only a small decrease in bike accidents.
This may be the first time the traffic police is stepping in, but over the last two years, the Advertising Council has a list of at least nine advertisements, mostly from bike companies, it pulled off air, or modified for depicting rash driving.
However, the ad world is greeting the news with mixed feelings.
“I agree with the Traffic Commissioner but if the advertising agencies are putting the message ‘do not try this at home...it's being done by experts', then you can't say much,” ad guru Alyque Padamsee said.
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