Short skirts, low necklines drive drivers to crash

The end of summer is fast approaching – can you believe it’s August already! – and that means a last-minute road trip is bound to be on your list. Well, if you’re planning to load the car, thrown in some music and put the pedal to the metal, it pays to keep your eyes on the road, especially for those of us who happen to be men. There is danger everywhere, especially above the knee.

A study by an insurance company in the United Kingdom, Sheilas’ Wheels, found that men’s car accident rates are about as high as “women’s summer hemlines,” according to an article on MSNBC. Twenty-nine percent of confessed that short skirts and low-cut tops make traffic, stop signs and other aspects of driving without killing someone less appealing (what would you rather look at?). I’m still wondering what the other 71 percent were looking at.

As usual, the fact that “[m]en are more visually oriented” is proffered as the reason why we are distracted more easily than women, on the road or anywhere else. And, testosterone gets some blame, too.
Said a spokesperson for Sheilas’ Wheels, which specializes in selling auto insurance policies to women:

“Men are significantly more likely than women to claim during the summer months – often as a result of wandering eyes.

“We urge all motorists to keep their eyes on the road – regardless of outside distractions – and keep cool behind the wheel,” Sheilas’ Wheels said.

I suspect this will be particularly tough if you’re road tripping out to the beach. My advice: take a drive out to a buffet. Keep your eyes off the hotties and on the road!

[thanks, @BrokingLiz, photo by nesta eber]