‘Be a Smooth Operator’

Almost anyone who drives a California freeway during rush hour has seen it: a driver combing his or her hair, applying makeup, tying a necktie or reading a newspaper. Now there are cellular phones, fax machines and small computers that strap to the passenger seat. Microwave ovens are coming. In short, a lot of bored, frustrated people caught daily in heavy traffic are trying to make the best of their lost time. In the process, they contribute to even more congestion because inattentive drivers cause accidents.

Public education programs designed to encourage safety have had mixed success over the years. The average Californian, studies show, is convinced he is an excellent driver and nearly everyone else is recklessly intent on playing destruction derby at 65 m.p.h. He does not want anyone to tell him how to drive, or how likely he is to escape injury or death if he is more cautious. So the California Office of Traffic Safety has taken on a real challenge: To persuade motorists that by being attentive and safe, they can reduce congestion and thus save themselves commuting time.

Pete O’Rourke, a former California Highway Patrol captain who directs the office, says the campaign is aimed at a handful of dangerous practices that contribute greatly to accidents and congestion. They include following too closely, rubbernecking, unnecessary lane changes and general inattention. Careless lane-changing alone was blamed for 136 traffic deaths and 11,260 injuries in California last year. O’Rourke says that 92% of all accidents are not really accidental at all, but are wrecks caused by human error.

O’Rourke knows how difficult it is to change a California driver’s behavior. The campaign devised for his office by a public relations firm is using a subtle slogan, “Be a Smooth Operator.” The idea is to convince motorists that it is cool and chic to be attentive and safe. Corny, perhaps, but if it influences even a relatively few errant drivers to pay closer attention to what they are doing behind the steering wheel, the campaign will have succeeded.