Champions League final fans warned not to tune in while driving

Football fans planning on listening to the Champions League final tonight are being warned not to tune in whilst driving.

A study commissioned by esure car insurance today shows how listening to live football while driving could be a "dangerous distraction", affecting concentration on the roads.

A driving simulator was used by scientists at the University of Leicester, with the report being purposely released on the day of the Manchester versus Barcelona showdown in Rome, to act as a warning to drivers who may be considering listening to the match while driving later.

The report, entitled 'Football Focus', shows an estimated two million motorists have had an accident or near miss while driving and listening to sport on the radio. According to the pilot study, the driving behaviour of football fans was very different to that of the casual listener. While the latter drove at a consistent pace throughout the match, the driving behaviour of football fans was found to vary considerably - sometimes erratically -as the match progressed.

Professor Michael J Pont of the University of Leicester said: "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.

"The results we obtained suggest that, particularly during high-pressure situations within the games, there was a very marked impact on the behaviour of the subjects in this study. It is concluded that - where possible - football fans should ask someone else to drive during important matches such as the Champions League Final."

The results discovered fans had larger changes in speed while listening to sport, and were more likely to tail-gate other drivers. Some drivers in the test were also shown to mirror the match with their driving, for example, accelerating when their team advanced towards the goal.

Mike Pickard, head of risk and underwriting at esure car insurance, said: "Results from these driving simulator tests gives great cause for concern - particularly with kick-off time for the champions league final fast approaching - as driving behaviour can clearly be affected by listening to sport on the radio. Red cards, penalty shoot-outs, and the intensity and pace of a football match can result in sudden acceleration or deceleration, erratic lane changes, tail-gating and over-taking manoeuvres.

"Football fans should avoid listening to crucial games on the radio when behind the wheel - even if they're just running late and don't want to miss the start of a key match. It's safer to get a lift, stay at home or just don't tune in whilst driving to avoid an accident as emotions run high."

Drivers in the north-west listen to sport on the radio in their car more than motorists in any other region whereas Welsh motorists listen to half as much live sport while driving, according to the research.