Keep America's Highways Beautiful !!!
Advertising is one of my favorite aspects of capitalism. I enjoy commercials (as is evident from my rant page on them), and get a kick out of figuring which ones will work, and which ones won't. "That's great, Carsten", you say, "but what the HELL does that have to do with inconsiderate drivers?" Well, it doesn't. HOWEVER, there is one form of advertising that a) I don't care for and b) I am forced to deal with while driving. I'm talking about those MONSTEROUS insults to our eyes, billboards.
The reason I bring this up is because of a bunch of billboards that have cropped up along I-94 which have ABSOLUTELY NO BEARING ON MY DRIVE WHATSOEVER! For example, one billboard offers that I should check to see that my homeowner's insurance is up to date by calling my State Farm agent. HUH? What, I'm going to pull off the road, make a mental inventory of all the things in my house, then decide whether I need more insurance?
How about those billboards for automobile dealerships? Am I really going to make a decision about what car to buy because of some large picture on the side of the freeway? If you do fall into that category of buyer, then I have a WONDERFUL 1984 Volvo station wagon I'd be willing to sell you for under ten grand, no extra charge for the bondo and packing tape...
But Carsten, there are useful - BALONY! A small nondescript sign at the side of the road showing what gas stations, restaurants, hotels, etc. are at the next exit is all we need. Don't even TRY to convince me that my field of vision needs to be filled with huge, gaudy advertising campaigns to make my drive safer or more enjoyable. Personally I'd rather see trees and greenery beside the highway instead of being distracted from my driving by some picture of an ugly grandmother scolding, "Don't you buy no ugly truck!" (actual billboard for a Chevy dealer near Flint, MI).
The advertising lobby is alive and well, folks, and those delicious steaks our congressmen and women are munching on during lunch are paid for by their lobbyists, who in turn make us pay by littering their trash along our roadways.
I almost always like to offer a solution or at least a 'what you can do' message at the end of a rant, but the idea I had (closing your eyes every time you see a billboard) has proved hazardous. Instead, why not send a letter to your state congressperson(s) and urge them to not give in to the billboard lobby. I also urge companies to look past the shortsightedness of putting up billboards and instead concentrate on creative, amusing commercials which make us WANT to buy their products, instead. Until then, if you see a beige 1984 Volvo Station wagon with duct tape holding it together and some lunatic behind the wheel with his eyes squeezed shut, be sure to wave, or cut me off, or just flip me off. I'm running low on "inconsiderate driver" material for this rant page...
