Photo credit: mari
Have you ever had an accident near a famous UK landmark?
I only ask because I once nearly came a cropper while ogling the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, so I was interested to see some statistics on the subject come out recently.
It turns out that the UK landmark most likely to cause accidents is, perhaps unsurprisingly, Stonehenge. It seems that 26% of the drivers surveyed said that they had been distracted by the Wiltshire monument. 3.74 seconds is the worryingly precise time which is given as how long drivers tend to look away from the road as they pass the prehistoric stone circle. This means that if you are going at 40 mph you could drift along for 200 metres without seeing anything other than the big blocks of stone.
1 in 4 Drivers Doesn’t Look at the Road
I have never been to Stonehenge sadly, as I always felt that was probably one of these places which are best left in the imagination. However, if it is interesting enough in real life to get over a quarter of drivers to take their eyes off the road then it is probably time I went there. I won’t be driving though, as it sounds like one of the worst places in the UK to do so.
Overall, a total of 35% of UK motorists have either had an accident or a near miss due to taking their eyes off the road to look at a lovely view. 14% of us are perhaps a bit more prudent, as we reduce our speed to get the chance to look for longer at the interesting landscape, with a typical reduction in speed of 27 mph.
The insurance company More Than said that the accidents which are caused by these distractions cost an average of over 400 pounds. The study was of over 2,000 drivers and second and third place went to The Angel of the North and Blackpool Tower. My old friend the Clifton Suspension Bridge came in at 8th place.