Showing posts with label drinking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drinking. Show all posts

Friday, November 6, 2009

Please (don't) drink and drive

There I am, driving along, minding my own business, thinking who knows what, and this sign zips past.

=========
DONT
DRINK
AND
DRIVE
=========
|
|


Suddenly drinking is on my mind, more specifically, drinking and driving. And I go to, 'I can do a little drinking and driving, I can be responsible.'

So what were you left with?

Consider that part of it is that it is an order, which may cause a modicum of resistance.

And part of it is 'drink and drive', exactly the result the message is trying to curtail.

The ultimate irony is that these signs are actually along the highway. Subliminally causing drivers to drink more.

As I am a fixer by personality, how can this be addressed? What I see is that the intent is to reduce drunk driving, and that the message has to be stated in a way that is a positive reinforcement. So how about:

"Driving sober saves lives"

or

========
DRIVE
SOBER,
SAVE
LIVES
========
|
|


This is not an order - it is a statement of observable fact. So both problems outlined in the beginning are addressed.