How Car Ads Fuel America’s Speed Obsession—And What IIHS Says About the Risks

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has identified a troubling disconnect between America’s car-buying habits and its driving culture. While vehicles are becoming larger and less performance-oriented on average, reckless driving surged during the pandemic and remains a significant issue. Despite a sharp decline in the number of accessible performance cars, performance-oriented advertising has increased—reinforcing what IIHS President David Harkey calls America’s “cultural obsession with speed.”

IIHS, widely known for its vehicle crash tests, is a nonprofit research group focused on improving road safety. Its latest study examines how advertising influences driver behavior, potentially contributing to aggressive driving, speeding, and higher crash rates. “Showing a stunt driver zooming around a tight turn in the rain might seem harmless,” Harkey said. “The fine print may caution that it’s a professional driver on a closed course, but the message they convey is that you can drive this way too.”

Performance Marketing Dominates Car Ads—And It’s Not New

IIHS analyzed over 2,500 television, internet, and social media car advertisements and found that performance remains the dominant theme. Key findings include:

• 43% of ads emphasized performance.
• 16% included speed or speeding as a central theme.
• 28% highlighted traction or handling.
• Only 8% of ads focused on safety.

This trend is particularly driven by the performance-based marketing of trucks and SUVs—a shift from the traditional focus on sedans and coupes.

Historical Examples Show the Problem Isn’t New

IIHS points to decades of performance-focused advertising, including:

• The 1990 Nissan 300ZX Super Bowl “Dream” spot, which glamorized high-speed driving.
• Chevrolet’s scrapped C6 Corvette commercial due to public backlash over similar themes.

These examples underscore how automakers and Hollywood have long blurred the lines between entertainment and advertising, normalizing reckless driving behaviors.

Why This Matters for Road Safety

IIHS argues that performance-heavy advertising sends a dangerous message: that aggressive driving is not only acceptable but desirable. “Vehicle advertisements are designed to persuade,” the study notes, “and many present high-performance driving as something consumers can purchase and experience.” The Institute warns that this cultural reinforcement of speed may contribute to the ongoing epidemic of reckless driving—even as vehicle safety technology improves.