Motorists are becoming increasingly distracted by pedestrians and billboards, causing a million crashes on British roads every year. Distracted motorists are causing over 2,500 crashes a day, banging into lampposts or other vehicles – and the number rises in the summer when men and women are wearing less clothes.
In a study of 2,000 individuals by Direct Line insurance, six in ten men surveyed admitted to being distracted by images of women while just over one in ten women made the same admission.
Direct Line’s Matt Owen confirmed:
“Stealing a quick look at an attractive pedestrian or billboard model may well be a bit of fun but, on a serious note, drivers shouldn’t underestimate that this type of distraction is a major contributing factor in road accidents. The number of crashes caused in this way have not changed year on year so drivers obviously are not learning to keep their eyes on the road.”
Ford Fiesta Driver Martyn Beard from the West Midlands, recounted his story in the Daily Telegraph.
“I was on my way into Birmingham when I saw this lovely looking blonde girl standing on the side of the road. She was outside a pub wearing pretty much next to nothing. I couldn’t take my eyes off her, she had the classic long legs and lovely figure. My concentration drifted and suddenly I realised I was about to crash into the car in front. I slammed on my brakes and this bloke when into the back of me. It wasn’t too bad though and when I told him what had happened he actually saw the funny side of it. But I was gutted the girl didn’t come and check I was OK, she just walked off and I was stuck swapping insurance details with this big hairy bloke instead. The insurance paid out because the man went into the back of me but I did feel partially responsible for causing the crash.”
