Time To Ban Car Advertising

A radical proposal from San Francisco: if you want to end automobile dependence, stop fetishizing the automobile. Disallowing its advertisement would be a start.

2 minute read

February 13, 2006, 10:00 AM PST

By David Gest


Want to get serious about the problem of America's "addiction to oil" (in President Bush's immortal terms)? Ban car commercials on radio and television! So suggests a recently published opinion piece in the San Francisco Chronicle.

The author of the piece, Bob Ecker (president of the Bay Area Travel Writers), is not an anti-car fanatic. Indeed, he writes "Cars are wonderful machines, I'll freely admit, and powerful tools that help us maintain our modern lives." But, he writes, "our country's obsessive consumption of oil to fill the tanks of our auto-centric culture may eventually kill off the world, and believe it or not, Mr. and Mrs. America, you and I will go down, too."

For this reason, Ecker takes the position that it's time for drastic measures, and for guidance he turns to the history of the anti-smoking movement. In 1966, he notes, cigarette use was at an all-time high, with Americans 18 years and older smoking 4,287 cigarettes per capita. A ban on tobacco advertisements became law on April 1, 1970. Today the number of adult American who smoke cigarettes has dropped to 1,791 per capita (latest figures for 2004, from the Centers for Disease Control).

"This drastic transformation eventually brought about positive social change, despite the bleating of mega-corporations," writes Ecker. His piece in the San Francisco Chronicle raises the question: wouldn't a similar ban on car commercials do the same in the fight against automobile dependency?

Thanks to Jacob Allderdice

Monday, February 6, 2006 in The San Francisco Chronicle

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Aerial view of single-family homes with swimming pools in San Diego, California.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule

The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

March 9, 2025 - Axios

Aerial view of suburban housing near Las Vegas, Nevada.

HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands

The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.

March 17, 2025 - The Wall Street Journal

Canadian flag in foreground with blurred Canadian Parliament building in background in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Has President Trump Met His Match?

Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.

March 11, 2025 - Toronto Star

Light rail train passing under apartments in Pasadena, California

California Bill Aims to Boost TOD

A bill proposed by Sen. Scott Wiener would exempt transit agencies from zoning rules near ‘high-quality’ transit stops and allow denser transit-oriented development.

March 18 - Streetsblog California

People walking at Pike Place Market, Seattle.

Report: One-Fifth of Seattle Households Are Car-Free

According to one local writer, the city’s low rate of car ownership should encourage officials to support public transit and reduce parking minimums.

March 18 - Seattle Bike Blog

Snow geese at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, California

California Lawmakers Move to Protect Waterways

Anticipating that the Trump EPA will reinstate a 2017 policy that excluded seasonal wetlands and waterways from environmental protections.

March 18 - CALmatters

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.