Law firm criticizes a Nissan ad which featured a race with school bus, urges people to sign petition
Update: A New York personal injury law firm is seeking to take a leading role in a public campaign over a Nissan Altima ad that they are calling irresponsible.
“In this commercial, Nissan is promoting unsafe driving habits,” says Brindisi Murad Brindisi & Pearlman in a Thursday blog post.
The law firm is urging consumers to sign an online petition which asks Nissan to stop airing the commercial. The ad, a copy of which was posted by the law firm on YouTube, shows a son nodding in approval as his dad takes on an apparent challenge posed by a school bus driver, who closes the door to the bus just as the pair pull to a stop beside it. After several twists and turns, at least one of which takes the car across an intersection in front of the bus, their Altima seemingly arrives at the school seconds before the bus does.
While the Nissan commercial does not show any overtly dangerous driving techniques, the blog post criticizes the company for “promoting unsafe driving habits.”
“Drivers are encouraged to slow down when in the presence of a school bus. In this Nissan commercial, the father isn’t slowing down and doesn’t even use a turn signal,” the blog post states, adding: “Speeding is an illegal act that can lead to a traffic ticket, hefty fines, or even worse, a deadly accident.”
WKTV says the station attempted to reach Nissan for comment without success.
Following criticism by the law firm and others, Nissan has now reportedly decided to end the school bus ad campaign.
In a Friday email to the executive director of the National Association for Pupil Transportation, the communications director for Nissan North America, Inc. said the company has “removed the ad completely from all of our national and regional advertising rotations,” NAPT reports on its website.
Communications director Dan Bedore explained in the email: “Our Altima ‘Miss the Bus’ commercial was intended to tell a story an irreverent and entertaining way. After hearing from The National Association for Pupil Transportation and many school transportation professionals, we realize that our attempt at humor has been perceived as a slight to those people who do an honorable and invaluable service to their communities. School bus drivers are entrusted with our nation’s most precious resources, our children. We thank them for their service and dedication to safety on the roads and apologize for the attempt at humor that resulted [in] unintended offense.”
Law firm partner Eva Brindisi Pearlman told the ABA Journal that she also received an email from Bedore and said she is thrilled that the law firm’s fledgling campaign was so speedily successful. Her 9-year-old son, she said, provided perspective after seeing the ad that encouraged the Brindisi firm to take action.
A Nissan representative did not immediately respond to a phone call from the ABA Journal.
Updated Nov. 10 to include report that the ad had been pulled.
