Mazda Australia fails with their BT-50 advertisement

Today’s Irresponsible Carmaker Advert is from Mazda Australia.

Why?

shows driving through salt water (very bad for the car, which they know as it says ‘wash vehicle undercarriage’ in small lettering, which never entirely fixes the problem by the way and should also mention ‘thoroughly’ and ‘with fresh water’. Or how about just pick a different photo?)
in apparent 2WD (wrong mode, you kinda need 4WD for sand, looks Photoshopped to me but gives the impression of 2WD)
and most importantly it says:

GIVE IT HEAPS

That caption and the image implies speed, wheelspin, power and rooster tails.

But that’s not what we want on a beach. It’s neither safe nor legal. We know it’s not safe as people lose control of their vehicles and are killed. As an example, take a look at my Loser Driver video on my YT which features the Harrison Payne Foundation. There’s one death right there. One consequence of a GIVE IT HEAPS attitude.

And for further context a university has just released a study recommending 4x4s be banned from beaches. Encouraging people to GIVE IT HEAPS is not a great way to keep people safe and beaches open.

When are carmaker advertising agencies going to pay any attention whatsoever to messages about safety or environmental care?

The picture below is me explaining what happened on Bribie Island to a group of young 4x4ers who agreed to be part of the video – at the memorial placed where Harry died because the driver decided to GIVE IT HEAPS. That’s one of my attempts to get the safety message out there. And how to get into motorsport so you can GIVE IT HEAPS, safely.