Car Insurance
Motorists lose focus over road-side distractions
Mon, 21 Nov 2005
Motorists in the UK are having their attention distracted from the road by "roadside eye-catchers" such as billboards, flashing signs and Christmas decorations, reports suggest.
A poll by Privilege Insurance claims that 23 per cent of drivers have been so distracted in the past by objects on the roadside that they have veered out of lane; a figure worryingly high in its implications for accident rates and car insurance costs.
Around 30 per cent say they have lost concentration behind the wheel while looking at a sign or billboard.
An expert, Dr Mark Young, from Brunel University said that drivers' visual workload varies throughout a journey, meaning that at crucial times like negotiating a roundabout, it is easy to be distracted by roadside advertising or Christmas lights.
"In fact, this risk is probably underestimated and we need to do more research on the possibility of excluding non-essential information when the driver is already busy dealing with the road," Dr Young said.
According to Privilege, roadside distractions affect the concentration of 83 per cent of UK motorists while on the roads, with male drivers the most affected. One in five male motorists (22 per cent) admitted to being distracted by images of scantily-clad women in roadside advertisements.
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