TooLate
With “AUTO BALLS”, the artist TooLate wants to send a message to SUV drivers.
UNUSUAL – This is his way of protesting after the death of cyclist Paul Varry, killed by an SUV on a cycle path in Paris a month ago. This weekend, the artist TooLate hung around fifty pairs of clay testicles on the back of SUV parked in Nice, in the Alpes-Maritimes, as spotted The Parisian. His message? Denounce violence linked to motorized traffic, and therefore particularly targeting Sport Utility Vehicles.
“This initiative aims to denounce virile behavior while driving, identified as one of the main causes of fatal accidents on the roads”explains the artist, who titled his work AUTO BALLS.
TooLate announces that it is also selling these clay sculptures “for drivers wishing to show their virility behind the wheel”. “With their imposing size and their ability to graze the ground, these balls display indisputable virility and the ability to crush anything in their path”he comments ironically.
“Motorists can (thus) express their “courage” and their determination to defy the norms of safe driving, thus affirming their unbridled masculinity”adds the anonymous street artist, who claims several works and installations in line with Banksy.
SUVs more dangerous for pedestrians than other vehicles
A few days ago, the former road safety delegate Emmanuel Barbe was appointed to head a four-month mission entitled “against violence, protect all road users”. The Ministry of Transport announced the establishment of this mission on October 21, a few days after the death of Paul Varry.
The number of deaths has increased among pedestrians and cyclists over the last twelve months, according to Road Safety figures, with 483 pedestrians dying between September 2023 and September 2024 (+12% year-on-year), as well as 240 cyclists. (+10%).
Moreover, “Accidents involving an SUV are statistically more often fatal for the vulnerable users they hit”wrote Road Safety in its 2023 report, citing data from a study, still in progress, carried out by the Center for Studies and Expertise on Risks (Cerema). Hit by a passenger vehicle in an urban area, a pedestrian “dies in 1.48 times more cases” if the car is an SUV.
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