by Heather Foster

Created on: January 28, 2010

Anyone who drives much at all has probably had the unpleasant experience of coming back to the vehicle with purchases, ready to head home and finding a flier left under the windshield wiper. Those little advertising fliers are not only irritating but dangerous as well.

Why do I say dangerous? Because getting out of the vehicle to remove that flier puts you at risk for a mugging, kidnapping or carjacking. Criminals have used this ruse to get people out of their vehicles for exactly those crimes and succeeded in their aim because the driver is often frustrated to find that they can’t just reach out the window while the wiper is running and grab the flier that way.

It does no good to call the advertiser about their fliers because they don’t care about whether you want to read their flier. That is their chosen method of advertising and they are happy you took the time to read enough of the flier to get their phone number. After all, they got your attention didn’t they?

Along with the fliers being posted on people’s windshields and irritating drivers sometimes the wipers or wiper arms are damaged in the process. Windshields are sometimes damaged as well when the wiper arm is grabbed and allowed to hit the glass. The right thump, in the right place can crack or break a windshield. This is costly to repair or replace and don’t count on getting the advertiser to pay the costs of the damage either.

A simple sign on the dash of the vehicle with a message like, ‘Post No Bills’ or ‘Post No Fliers’ will sometimes stop the posters, but not always. Even a large windshield sunshade with the sign on it will often get ignored, but it is worth the try. Catching someone putting the fliers on the windshield and stopping them is not an easy thing to do when you have shopping, but sometimes a person can catch them. Or you can just post your own flier on the windshield and remove it before getting in the vehicle before leaving and confound them because someone else got their first.

If your vehicle is damaged, in any way, by the flier posters you can contact the store and notify the manager of the damage and the flier. Many managers are willing to listen and try to help. Angry customers are the last thing a store manager wants and damage to vehicles in their parking lot does not help their bottom line at all, especially in this world where people will sue for just about anything.

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