a day ago
Resident outraged as obnoxious vehicle plagues neighborhood: 'Should absolutely be illegal'
It feels like we can't escape marketing and advertising these days. From targeted ads on our phones and computers to influencer promotions and product placements in our favorite shows, advertising is woven into nearly every part of daily life.
While traditional billboards along highways are nothing new, some Ann Arbor, Michigan residents are noticing a more surprising and intrusive trend closer to home.
In a recent post on the subreddit r/AnnArbor, a resident shared a photo of a large truck equipped with bright LED advertising screens on at least two sides, driving through the downtown area.
The poster asked, "How is this allowed downtown, and has it distracted any drivers?" sparking discussion about the growing presence and potential safety concerns of mobile advertising in the city.
The poster shared that the truck's LED lights are so bright that they light up their entire apartment at night as it drives by.
This constant barrage of advertising doesn't just influence our attention and waste our money; it fuels a culture of overconsumption. By encouraging people to buy more than they need, ads drive demand for the mass production of goods, which contributes significantly to air pollution.
Many of these products also end up in landfills shortly after purchase, adding to the mounting waste crisis and further straining the planet's resources.
On a broader scale, the environmental toll includes resource depletion, increased energy use, and the release of heat-trapping air pollution at every stage, from manufacturing and packaging to transportation and final disposal.
Other Reddit users echoed the original poster's frustration, noting that they, too, had seen the LED-covered truck around town.
One user commented that the truck "should absolutely be illegal," prompting another to point out that it likely is, citing Ann Arbor's electronic message sign ordinance, which limits brightness to 100 nits at night. "This quite obviously exceeds 100 nits," they added.
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