Sydney, Australia - A hard-hitting new television ad questions the manhood of Australian men who drive too fast.
The below-the-belt video advertisement shows women noticing a young man roaring past then turning scornfully to their friends and wiggling their little fingers.
The mocking gesture with the 'pinkie' is a clear sign they believe the driver is trying to compensate for an inadequate manhood, and is designed to counter the idea that speeding is cool and macho.
The New South Wales state Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) says the "Speeding: No one thinks big of you" campaign, which aired for the first time on Sunday night, targets young men between the ages of 17 and 25.
It said on its website: "The ads showing the serious injury and death that speeding can cause are becoming less effective.
"Young guys are simply rejecting this message, with an 'it won't happen to me' attitude."
The new campaign "could very well be the thread that unravels the mindset that speeding is cool."
The campaign will run on television, in cinemas, on posters at bus shelters and in an internet ad that offers speedsters an "Xtra Xtra small" condom.
RTA spokesman John Whelan acknowledged the ads would be controversial but told local media: "We will do what we feel we have to to get the message through."
- The RTA says speeding is a factor in about 40 percent of road deaths in New South Wales, killing more than 220 people a year. - AFP