Motorists are being urged to take extra care when taking to the roads during major summer sporting events such as Wimbledon, Euro 2016, the new Premier League Season, and the Olympics.
According to a recent survey, over 5% of drivers admit to erratic driving while becoming engrossed in radio commentary on their favourite sports.
A staggering 35% also confirmed that they experience much higher levels of stress at such times, which is clearly not ideal when driving.
Unsurprisingly, it’s football commentary that provokes the biggest emotional investment, with half of those surveyed suggesting the nation’s favourite sport can leave them shouting at the radio, punching the air or even having to pull over to the side of the road in order to concentrate on the action.
Should you see a fellow motorist singing or shouting while at the wheel, it may well be due to sporting commentary or joining in with terrace chants rather than simply enjoying a singalong to the latest chart hits.
Given the somewhat shocking performance from England this year at the Euro’s, it would come as little surprise to discover that drivers had near misses whilst listening; about one in twenty will admit to coming close to an accident at the wheel when distracted by sport.
The survey also concluded that Northern Irish drivers were most likely to be listening to their team’s matches, with around 58% saying they’d be tuning in at the wheel.
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Should the excitement or stress become too much, drivers are encouraged to find a safe place to park and listen to the event before continuing on their journeys; if this isn’t possible, then it would be more sensible to turn off the radio or take a short break.
As a standard insurance policy premium continues to rise, any accidents caused during the great summer of sport will only contribute to pushing the prices up more.
Those in the motor trade are also likely to have the radio on throughout the working day, though again we’d suggest that listening to a big event while taking a customer out on trade plates isn’t overly sensible!
With the market for new and used cars continuing to show growth, summer 2016 is a great time for the trade, with many dealers cashing in on themed promotions around the football and the Olympic Games – while we encourage everyone to invest in supporting both the trade and our nation’s sporting stars, please stay safe at the wheel!
