South Dakota stops ‘Don’t jerk and drive’ campaign
Though it wasn’t intended as one, enough people raised a fuss about a perceived double entendre that a public service ad had to be removed from air.
Even in 2014 the old adage that “sex sells” can be taken too far—and sometimes it’s the most unlikely of sources.
South Dakota’s state government ran a public service campaign built around the tag line, “Don’t Jerk and Drive.” The point of the campaign was to prevent drivers from jerking the wheel if they start to swerve in icy driving conditions. That’s the version of “jerking” officials were referring to, not the kind that would make a teenage boy giggle.
In the video, a narrator says, “Should your tire should leave a snowy or icy road, resist the urge to jerk the steering wheel. Over-correcting only results in chaos. And besides, nobody likes a jerker.”
Watch it here:
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