Taxi Driver Online

Complaints over minicab ad campaign

Transport for London adverts criticised as irresponsible because they imply women who are attacked may be to blame

A hard-hitting campaign that features a woman being attacked after taking an unlicensed London minicab has prompted complaints that it is irresponsible because it implies women are to blame if incidents occur.

The Advertising Standards Authority has received 10 complaints about the ad campaign, which tells women to "Know what you're getting into", and is running on TV, cinema and on London Underground posters during the festive season.

Transport for London's unsettling campaign, developed by ad agency M&C Saatchi, shows a woman taking a cab and being attacked by the driver. The attacker and his victim are never seen during the ad.

The main thrust of the complaints to the ASA is that the ad implies that if an attack occurs it is the fault of the woman and that the onus is on the woman to be careful, with no focus on the attackers.

Some of the complainants also argued that the ad campaign is traumatising to anyone who has suffered a sexual attack in such circumstances. Other complainants said that the ad campaign is offensive and irresponsible.

The ASA is assessing the complaints and will decide whether there is cause to investigate whether the ad campaign has breached the advertising code.

TfL's campaign was launched earlier this month, to coincide with the alcohol-fuelled Christmas party season, backed by Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, the Metropolitan Police Service and the City of London Police. It forms part of the Mayor's Safer Travel at Night initiative, which was originally launched six years ago by Johnson's predecessor Ken Livingstone.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/de ... d-campaign

More stuff and nonsense, ffs, how are they to educate women if they cannot show the problems they may incur if they are not responsible for their own actions. Far be it for me to suggest that any woman is asking to be attacked, because they make an ill informed decision cos they're not, but, if it's not put out there for all to see what could happen then how do we educate young girls and woman. More over sensitive tripe from people who would rather see young girls get into improper vehicles and risk attack than see them educated. It's a cruel world out there and it's time people were shown reality instead of wrapping them up in cotton wool

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Agree 100% toots.

Sadly with little or no enforcement the ad campaign can only go some way to prevent these attacks.

I'd say this year, more than any other year, there was no reason to even attempt to take a Minicab tout.

Taxis were out in greater numbers than I've ever seen.

Or was that all the YBC's dropping off?

I received a complaint about those tube adverts so I told her to contact TFL as the NTA are not responsible

Incidentally, I also received the following complaint, again about London Cabbies, here's an extract;


Most of the time when I have hailed a cab the driver has stopped 10 or 15 feet away so that I always have to walk. They never stop right in front of you. Yesterday, when I was late for a doctor’s appointment, a taxi stopped right in front of me, here in Kensington, then suddenly sped ahead another 10 feet. As I began to walk toward him, he then just took off.

ffs, can you lot sort it out?

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Was she on a zebra crossing ? Was she standing within zig-zag lines ? Was there a convoy of vehicles behind him making it difficult for him to stop suddenly ?

In the last week I've been hailed by 3 separate people standing within the zig-zag lines of a crossing and I've had to direct them to move off the crossing! It's not always clear cut as to why a driver doesn't stop directly in front of a passenger, myself at night i prefer to stop a shot distance ahead or in front of them in order that i can gauge how steady they are (totally paralytic and i will refuse to take them) and also to see if they are hailing me for a group of hidden mates who only appear once the doors are open!

I've been hailed by people on a crossing and when I've directed them a few yards up in order to make myself legal they've simply refused to walk up to me and instead hailed another cab, that's their prerogative and if the other cabbie wants to risk 3 points then so be it!

Not too sure, I think anyone who goes home and calmly bothers finding a national body website on thier computer and then still can be bothered to type a complaint is obviously mental.

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin