If you speed you have a little penis

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Manhood road ad 'very successful'

An Australian ad campaign aiming to reduce road deaths by questioning the manhood of speeding drivers has proved a great success, a survey suggests.

The TV ads show women shaking their little finger - a gesture used to symbolise a small penis - as speeding male motorists race past.

In a government-commissioned survey, about 60% of young men said the ad had made them ponder their driving habits.

The ads have attracted complaints of sexism since they began in June.

But New South Wales (NSW) Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal said a few dented egos was a small price to pay if the adds help save a life.

"Wiggling your pinkie has cut through to that crucial age group of young drivers - they're using it as a way to slow their mates down and stop them acting recklessly on our roads," he told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

The A$1.9m (£805,000) campaign "Speeding. No-one thinks big of you" has been running on TV, in cinemas, at bus shelters and online since June.