“Meurthe-et-Moselle is neither San Andreas nor Vice City”, reads the message published by the local jurisdiction on social networks on Thursday.
The message is designed to warn drivers against excessive speeding or dangerous driving ahead of Pentecost weekend.
Motorists can expect a larger than usual police presence on the roads this weekend, with the prefecture promising all forces will be mobilised to ensure safety on its routes.
“Grand Theft Auto, Grand Est Auto": the play on words is evident, but the comparison is perhaps somewhat misguided when one considers the characters in the popular video game.
The act of comparing the region’s drivers to criminals and the mafia has met with some criticism. Not to mention the fact that “grand theft auto” itself, better known as car theft, is illegal in France and the US, and can result in incarceration.
One hopes the prefecture did not intend to tar drivers with the same brush as the game’s characters, in which case the message is simple to interpret. However, not everyone online agrees, as evidenced by the number of comments made in reaction to the advert.
