Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Happy Urban Legend 3: The Killer in the Backseat



This one tends to have befallen the sister of a friend of someone you met on MySpace. The true urban legend is that anyone ever met anyone real on MySpace, but will require its own entry. For now, let us concern with the Sister of Dubious Origin and the man in her backseat.

She was driving home – from work, from a party, from college, it really varies based on the Sister of Dubious Origin, and has befallen one or another of them at some time. What's constant in every story is the truck that began following her. At first it only flashed its high beams, but seconds later it was tailgating. When she slowed down, it refused to pass. When she sped up, so did it.

She tried pulling onto back roads, but the truck continued following her, even nudging her rear bumper as its horn blared. In some versions she called the police on her cell; in others, a parent or boyfriend. The truck always followed this sister in every version, to her apartment, to her parents' home, or even a police roadblock. As soon as she jumped out of her car, so did the trucker, screaming that there was a man in her backseat.

She whirled and saw that, yes, there was a fastidious and photogenic man leering from the backseats. Every Sister of Dubious Origin who ever lived heard him ask, "Did you know you can save 15% on your car insurance by switching to GEICO?"

The Sisters of Dubious Origin filed a class action lawsuit against GEICO in 2008 and settled out of court. It's widely considered the second most obnoxious GEICO ad, after the ones with the talking pig.

11 comments:

  1. That made me laugh out loud. I was not expecting the Geico line (I have Geico too and they didn't get me by doing that!)

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  2. OMG, salesdroids! I might prefer the monster!

    The true urban legend is that anyone ever met anyone real on MySpace. Like the girl who told The Boy she was 18, when she was in fact 12? What a nightmare that was. I think I still have a screenshot of her page on my computer somewhere as evidence.

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    1. I've had friends stuck in situations like that. The smarter ones slammed on the brakes and ended all communication. Chilling.

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  3. That is killer!!
    Yes, please make the pig ads stop.

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    1. They are quickly approaching War Crime status.

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  4. Loved the punchline. And I freakin' hate that pig.

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  5. Geico would be pretty creepy if they really did that.

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  6. We don't have Geico - and it seems it is something to be thankful for. I loved this - thank you.

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  7. Ahaha, no John I thought I had another urban legend!!! Oh dear I can't stop laughing!

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