Maybe we could blame the late actor Steve McQueen for all those outlandish car commercials we watched during last weekend’s Super Bowl, thanks to his portrayal of a daredevil policeman in the 1968 movie “Bullitt.”

In this classic film, McQueen’s character, Frank Bullitt, sped through San Francisco in his dark green V-8 four-speed Ford Mustang chasing bad guys at breakneck speeds, cresting the city’s hilltop streets and careening wildly off the sides of buildings in what became the ultimate movie chase scene.

Automobile companies have always gone for flash and glamour in suggesting that their cars are fully equipped for speed and power. Now they seem more determined to add elements of adventure and danger into the equation.

We learned during Super Bowl XLVI, for instance, that the new Hyundai can outrun a jaguar (the animal, not the car). We watched a Chevy truck withstand the apocalypse and a Chevy Sonic survive a bungee jump from a bridge. A Kia Optima was able to break through concrete barriers into another dimension.

Based on the theme of these commercials, it seems like many Americans must have loftier goals for their transportation needs than what I generally require in daily driving. During my trips to the post office and drug store, I cannot recall a single time when I’ve been required to crash through a brick wall or bungee jump from a bridge to reach my destination.

I’ve always taken this perverse pleasure in driving next to some guy on the freeway in his $180,000 Porsche Turbo stuck in congested commuter traffic where the top-end speed is 8 miles per hour, knowing he cannot possibly go any faster than my $19,500 Dodge minivan. It must be frustrating for this chap who was promised his “ground-jet” could reach speeds of 190 miles per hour.

We have been constantly sold on speed, power and durability with in-your-face ads that boast aggressive and downright combative attitudes in our driving habits. Auto makers’ present advertising goals appear to be: “Who will be the last man standing?”

Current models include the Land Rover Defender, the Avalanche and the Armada. Any day now I expect this contentious attitude in advertising will lead to a commercial like this:

“The new Tirade 6X is finally here! From our 600 Squander Series, this six-wheel-drive behemoth is sure to intimidate your neighbors — especially that guy who kicked sand in your face back in high school. Feeling especially threatened these days? Get behind the wheel of this destructive monster and you’ll feel in charge of your life again. We’re not just on the cutting edge of technology, we want you to get even!”

What we celebrate in our commercials and what we preach to our children about safety seem to conflict. Every parent explains the importance of respecting speed limits and wearing safety belts. Yet the kids are also seeing in these TV commercials some gray-haired dude doing wheelies and kicking up dust clouds in his new red convertible.

I much prefer the ad in which the father is reluctantly handing the keys of the family car to his young daughter (who appears to be about three years old). He gives her last-minute instructions prior to her first solo outing. However on second look, we see that she is now a mature young woman who is reassuring her dad that she will be a responsible driver.

All parents understand that they eventually must trust their children to observe the lessons taught during childhood. And deep down, we ultimately root for that young daughter to act on Dad’s loving advice and to disregard the car companies’ daredevil approach to driving.

Just for the record, I was a huge McQueen fan, like many from my era. But we need to keep in mind that “Bullitt” was only a movie he acted in. Driving involves real life.

It would be nice if Madison Avenue advertising agencies would finally acknowledge that distinct difference between fantasy and reality.

Bob Vickrey is a former Tribune-Herald sportswriter and was sports editor of the Baylor Lariat in the late 1960s. He lives in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

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