The Face That Crashed 1,000 Cars: Billboards Lead to Body Shops

June 4, 2008 - We’ve all seen it in the movies: a relatively "dorky" guy drives along the road attempting to keep his "cool" when a beautiful, sexy young woman catches his eye and causes him to crash, embarrassingly, into a trash can, mailbox, or another car. The result? A nice dose of comedy for audiences. But real-life results can be far more serious, sometimes involving an entirely different dosage requirement, one prescribed by a medical doctor rather than a witty screenwriter.
When the British version of "Victoria" uncovered her "secret" on billboards (supermodel in a lingerie ad), drivers with wandering eyes on busy highways found themselves colliding with other automobiles and objects rather than the scantily-clad lady. Is this phenomenon a one-time problem? According to recent a study, 83% of drivers in the United Kingdom are distracted by road signs and billboards, many of them keeping their eyes off the road for over five seconds at a time. These seconds, when combined with a speed of 60 miles per hour, result in a distance of over 100 yards in which a driver is not paying attention to the road. Another staggering statistic appeared in 2006: drivers spend up to 50% of their time on the road looking at distracting ads and signs.
Do United States drivers have the same cause for concern? In today’s postmodern era of image overload, American highways are more dangerous than ever. With electronic and moving billboards springing up across U.S. cities, drivers distracted by signs depicting sexy bodies may find their cars in the body shop. If you have been injured in an accident as a result of someone’s inattention to the road, call Murphy and Associates at 770-577-3020 for a free evaluation of your case.