Are male drivers putting us all at risk?
The Hippo.co.za team commented on a recent article on Express Online, about a study which shows appearance-obsessed men in the UK caused an estimated 2.2 million car crashes in a period of 12 months. It makes one wonder how many similar crashes happen in South Africa?
Some of the causes of the accidents were cited as styling hair, inspecting complexion, pouting and posing, checking teeth, applying facial moisturiser and focusing on their reflections in the mirror. In addition to this, 1.3 million male drivers apply facial moisturiser, fake tan and even male foundations whilst driving! Insurance statistics show that these vanity related crashes result in over R9 000 (converted from Euro’s) on average, per vehicle. Most of the male participants in the study also admitted to have grooming products stocked up in their cars.
When asked to comment on the article, Derek Wilson, Head of Hippo.co.za, said, “These actions are not limited to men only, both sexes can act irresponsibly when concentrating on something other than driving. It is imperative that one takes their own safety and the safety of others into consideration when driving. Anything a driver does that takes away their attention on the road could cause an accident, and ultimately impact on their car insurance claims.”
Men are not only distracted by their own appearance, but also that of their attractive counterparts, according to an article by The Huffington Post. The article cites a survey done on 11 211 drivers, where two thirds of men admitted to losing their focus whilst driving. One of the main reasons was due to being distracted by attractive women on the road.
The moral of the story? Pay less attention to you (or the good looking woman in the car next to you) and make sure you have the right car insurance cover.