LONDON, May 27 (Reuters) - Listening to commentary of soccer
matches on the radio while driving can be dangerous, leading
motorists to risk smashes during exciting moments, according to
research published on Wednesday.
The study by scientists at Britain's University of Leicester
found that goals, penalties and red cards caused fans to lose
concentration and drive more erratically.
The report, published to coincide with the Champions League
final between Manchester United and Barcelona on Wednesday, had
advice for those planning to listen to the game in a car.
"It is concluded that -- where possible -- football fans should
ask someone else to drive during important matches such as the
Champions League final," Professor Michael Pont said.
The report estimated that two million motorists had had an
accident or near miss while listening to sport on the radio.
"It is widely accepted that the distraction of talking on a
hand-held mobile phone may lead to accidents, but other activities
may have a similar impact -- such as listening to sport on the
radio," said Pont.
"The results we obtained suggest that, particularly during
high-pressure situations within games, there was a very marked
impact on the behaviour of the subjects of this study."
The research, which studied participants' behaviour on a driving
simulator, found that football fans would speed or suddenly slow
down, overtake and get closer to other vehicles on the road as
games developed.
One driver, a Chelsea fan, reacted to a Barcelona player being
sent off during a match between the two clubs by accelerating, and
trying to overtake and change lanes frequently.
The behaviour of football fans behind the wheel was very
different from that of the casual listener which was far more
consistent, the study found.