A mother with two children in the backseat approaches a major intersection. The light turns yellow. Instead of immediately turning left, mom stops and decides to wait for a green arrow. While waiting, she sees in her rearview mirror that the driver behind her isn’t happy with her decision. He’s making hand gestures toward her. When the light turns green, mom turns left. The driver behind her catches up and while passing mom, raising his hand toward her.
Drivers in a hurry don’t surprise me. What surprises me are drivers like him, who make hand gestures toward others while driving a marked, company vehicle. I drove inside well-marked company vehicles for years. TV stations usually don’t miss an opportunity to cover any space with their logo or smiling anchors. Most people waved and smiled at the TV truck. But I was always very aware I was sitting inside a rolling billboard. When another driver expressed his discontent with us, I didn’t respond. Responding would make it too easy for the other driver to call the station and complain. Some of the people I drove with in company cars were not as reserved. They sometimes responded with passion. Perhaps the car logo instilled in them a sense of power. “We’re the media!”
I once aired a story about how few drivers obeyed a specific construction speed zone. One driver we caught on video driving faster than the posted speed limit was in a state transportation vehicle. Part of the story reported how even a state transportation worker didn’t obey the speed limit posted by his own employer, the state government. I interviewed a state public information officer, whose department helped promote the importance of going the speed limit especially in construction zones. My questions put him in an awkward position.
A mail truck once cut me off. I took a picture of it and posted it on Facebook and Twitter. I only explained the vehicle cut me off. I didn’t need to explain the irony or who owned the truck. The trucks emblems told the story.
Drive around a while. You’ll see company vehicles of all sorts speeding or radically switching lanes. Their type of business sometimes makes the scene ironic. I once interviewed a bus driver we shot video of speeding in a school speed zone.
I don’t think I’ve ever called one of those “How am I driving?” telephone numbers on the back of vehicles. I’m probably worried the company will take no action or, worse, fire the poor driver due to my phone call. These drivers frustrate me. But I don’t want to get someone fired.
The biggest story is these drivers don’t seem to understand they’re driving around a brand the moment they get behind a wheel. Their poor driving habits often reflect poorly on the company. When someone called the TV station about the way one of its employees acted on the road, I’m sure that person also shared with their friends “You’ll never believe how that Action6 Truck was driving. And then he flipped me off!”
Somehow companies should drive this branding message deeper into their drivers. “How am I driving?” stickers and vehicle numbers don’t seem to steer some of these drivers into better behavior. The streets make people so mad. Too many drivers don’t hit the brakes to think about their response. And the boss back in the air-conditioned, corner office might be paying the steepest price of all. Getting somewhere two minutes faster isn’t always worth the hours in business you might lose.
Subscribe via email to our blog, join us on Facebook & follow us on Twitter.