I have pondered writing this post for some time now. It's just one of those cultural differences that I find fascinating. At the moment there isn't really anything new or terribly interesting to share about my own life, so I will expose to you one of the more widely visible practices of Aussie government.
Apparently you could make the stereotype that Australians like to drive. They spend a lot of time on long roads -- driving far, and driving fast. And the media spends a lot of time on the alarming increase in car crashes. And the government spends a lot of money on billboards, radio and tv commercials, to educate people (or scare or embarrass them, whatever works) into following road rules. These are some of the wittiest ads I have seen. They are everywhere, and they are sponsored by the governement.
Every K over is a killer -- (K = kilometre...meaning every kilometre over the speed limit, in case you weren't sure). This is the campaign's major slogan. It's been around at least 6 years, since I first came here, and it must've had some shock value at first. But I don't think anyone really even notices it anymore.
Drink drive - you're a loser -- (referring to losing points on your license. when you lose too many, you lose the license. )
High speed. Low IQ.
Has your car got a nut loose at the wheel?
I see these billboards every day. They make me smile :) I can only imagine the offended motorists who would rise up if these kinds of slogans were blared out in the US. It seems terribly politically incorrect there. Here, it's just another example of the Aussie value of being a bit cheeky to say what you want to say. And I say, good on 'em. (Unfortunately, even as the campaigns are growing, they don't seem to be doing anything to actually lessen the death tolls on the roads. I have no idea how it actually compares to other countries...presumably, it's fairly average? )
So there's my bit of Aussie trivia for you for the day. Sorry it's not too exciting, that's all I've got for the moment. :)
4 comments:
Hi Alicia,
Well, Us U.S. persons have our own scare/threatening tactics around town lately. "Click it or ticket". New big push to seat belt usage. In fact, it is becoming a national slogan.
Also, a lot of those automatec speed limit signs have been popping up around town. They have a built in radar device with a lit sign showing your "exact speed" (not very accurate as far as I can tell). These are mounted on the same post that has the local speed limit. So aparently, if the posted speed is 35, and "your" speed is 50, you should be shamed into slowing down. Something to keep the honest man honest...most observations semm to be otherwise! By the way, what is a Kover"? Love you, Dad
Drink Drive - You're a Loser. I'm not actually sure that this is a tounge in cheek referance to license points. Actually I think it's meant to call those people Losers! The reason I suspect that is that the previous campaign was
"If you Drink and Drive, you're a Bloody Idiot!" Complete with pictures of people at parties, in cars, in hospital, at accident scenes with the words Bloody Idiot stamped on their heads.
I guess we're not afraid of offending people if it’s going to save someone’s life. Also think about the person that would be offended, in order to take offence you have to assume it applies to you, you first have to admit to the world that you don't know how to control yourself with drink, you break the law and put other people's families at risk. Who's going to admit to that?
The other difference I think is funny is “Gawker Slow down” (sp?). In Mn the radio announcers refer to this common traffic problem. I always thought it had something to do with the road conditions due to the artic weather conditions. It turns out that “Gawker Slow down” is the Minnesota nice way of saying a bunch of idiots are cause serious traffic problems in the hopes of gaining some small entertainment value from someone else’s misfortune. In Australia we just call them stupid idiots.
I think we are just a little more to the point over here. Or maybe we’re just less polite.
Dad -- Yeah, that's another thing. Speed cameras. That's a whole different game here too. It's the game the cops play where they hide themselves and their cars and their speed cameras as well as they can (behind trees, in a ditch, behind other parked cars) and they try to catch speeders unawares. Then, they post you the photo and the fine in the mail. They have hidden cameras like that at some red lights too...who knows which ones. If they snap a shot of you running a red light, or even the back end of your car going through a light that turned red while you were in the middle of the intersection, they send you a photo and a fine. It is possible to contest those in court though, if have a good case that you had to rush through the yellow light. I don't remember any such thing in the States. I think they get a bit carried away revenue raising here. Did you know, they even ticket kids $50 for riding a bike without a helmet!?
Oh, and as far as I know, Kover is not a word. (were you making a joke? :) Refer to my previous explanation: Every "K" (kilometer) Over is a Killer.
Danny -- Yep, well said. Although I really do think that the "Drink Drive - you're a loser" slogan is a clever double meaning, and thus, it's a bit cheeky. And I think you spelled Gawker as well as it can be spelled, and I've always thought that was funny!
My favourite is "Take a Break, Tired Drivers Die!" Doesn't get more frank than that.
Post a Comment