Ad Nauseam

Garmin: Chat, Navigate and Steer — But Don’t Drive Distracted

The first time I saw this ad I thought my eyes and ears were deceiving me. But no, there it is: a young woman holding a cellphone toward the camera as "nüvifone" maker Garmin beckons viewers to "communicate while navigating."

By Brad Aaron

5:30 PM EST on November 5, 2009

The first time I saw this ad I thought my eyes and ears were deceiving me. But no, there it is: a young woman holding a cellphone toward the camera as “nüvifone” maker Garmin beckons viewers to “communicate while navigating.”

“With my nüvifone, I can take calls from my friends while I’m driving to them,” she says as she’s shown piloting an SUV with two passengers, one of whom accepts an incoming call on a phone mounted to the windshield. (Note to Garmin: Hands-free is not brain-free.)

Maybe the most egregious aspect is the “Do not drive while distracted” disclaimer — which pops up as the young woman is depicted driving while distracted.

What the ad doesn’t show: The driver plows her SUV through one of the pedestrian-populated shots that follow, and bystanders whip out their nüvifones to call 911, text their friends and photograph the carnage.

Brad Aaron

Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.

Ad Nauseam