Listening to sports on radio as risky as drink-driving

LONDON - Listening to the matches of soccer World Cup and other sports on radio while driving can cause distraction and the habit could be as risky as drink-driving, say experts.

Sports fans listening to Wimbledon, the World Cup and international cricket matches, may be putting themselves and the lives of others at risk. The risk increases if the listener has an emotional attachment to a team or an interest in a particular outcome, The Telegraph reported.

Reactions can be slowed by up to 20 percent, scientists at the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) found.

“To put this into context, this increase in distance travelled is 10 percent further than the additional stopping distance when driving with a blood alcohol level at the UK legal limit (80mg/ml),” the report said.

The number of incidents of hard breaking at the last minute almost doubled when motorists were listening to sports commentary.

The report added: “This suggests that the motorists were not paying enough attention to the road and had to make late decision to respond to the conditions and drivers on the road around them.”

“At particularly tense times, such as penalty shootout, it may be safer to find a safe place to park and enjoy the action without risking an accident,” TRL’s Nick Reed suggested.

The study was based on the observation of the reactions of 18 participants aged 25-45 (nine of whom were male and nine female).