Tuesday Tirad

I cringe when I see the television ads for new cars. Bigger, slicker, faster and the ad people make us think the cars are supposed to race and roar along just driving to the corner market.

More power and more distractions. Just what we all need. Touch the gas and rocket to ninety miles per hour in 4.5 seconds. Adjust the sixteen woofer speaker stereo system to the ear shattering volume which will vibrate the windows of the cars beside you. You are ready to roll.

NASCAR races have shown us how the "bump" draft has won lots of races. Sure there a couple of bent fenders and bruised egos of the superstar drivers who are revered like rock stars. But, then Joe or Jane Average gets behind the steering wheel and tries to set a new land speed record for the commute to the office.

As I see it, the problem is the way the ads show the cars doing crazy stunts, performed by "professional drivers on closed courses", which lead people to drive like nuts. If Madison Avenue would cool it then maybe everybody would calm down..