France to Car Buyers: Driving is Bad For Your Health and Community

Car makers will be forced to promote walking, cycling, and transit in commercials airing in France, deepening the already stark contrast between how automobiles are marketed in Europe versus car-crazy America.

On Dec. 28, the French government ordered automakers to prominently feature one of three approved messages aimed at decreasing vehicle miles traveled in the nation: “For short journeys, prioritize walking or cycling,” “Think about carpooling,” or “Use public transport every day.” Advertisers will also have to use the hashtag #SeDéplacerMoinsPolluer, which roughly translates to “Pollute less when you move.”

Local outlets say automakers will face up to a fine of €50,000 ($56,700) if they fail to comply or if the messages don’t conform to government specifications aimed at making them easy to read or hear — meaning they can’t be consigned to the kind of bottom-of-the-screen messages in size-one fonts or rapid fire end-of-the-ad voiceovers common to disclaimers in America.

Across the pond, some advocates expressed admiration for the new law — even as they acknowledge that adopting a similar stateside standard probably wouldn’t have much of an impact on America’s toxic car culture.

“Considering most auto ads promote road violence and mock all other forms of transportation, I’m not sure how much weight these messages would really hold,” said Tom Flood, an advertising professional and street safety advocate. “When it comes to the almighty car, we tend to do everything but attack the root issues. … It’s kind of like showing an ad for a Food TV-style steak grilling on the barbecue, and then cutting to a message that says, ‘Try not to eat meat.'”

A better starting point, Flood suggests, might be simply barring American auto advertisers from showing motorists breaking laws or driving dangerously, as they’re already forbidden to do in countries like the U.K. and Australia. Requiring government agencies to mount dedicated public health campaigns promoting sustainable transportation might be a welcome counterbalance to bad ads, too — and to the pedestrian-shaming PSAs highway safety agencies tend produce now.

Until that happens, at least America has a single local ordinance from Cambridge, Mass., which has required gas station owners to put cigarette-pack-style warning labels on pumps to remind drivers of their impact on the planet since early 2020. (Streetsblog offered some mock-ups when that story broke.)