Posted on 06/16/2006 10:25:24 AM PDT by canuck_conservative
In Colombia, beauty can kill. Drivers ogling attractive women rather than paying attention to the road are one of the South American country's leading causes of car accidents.
Distraction was the No. 1 cause of the 115,000 road accidents in Colombia last year, costing the equivalent of about $250 million Cdn, according to research by the Road Safety Fund, a private organization.
The cell phone was the biggest distraction for drivers, accounting for about 10 per cent of all accidents. Second was men staring at women, which accounted for nearly one in 20 crashes.
"It's a culture here of drivers honking the horn at an attractive woman, throwing her some compliment as he drives past, and he's not concentrating on driving," the group's director, Francisco Fernandez, told a news conference.
His presentation included close-up images of attractive women in miniskirts to remind the audience of the extent of this danger.
More than 1,300 drivers were interviewed for the study conducted by the fund, a private group made up of insurance companies.
Colombia has been improving its road safety, bringing down accidents from an average of 200,000 per year to just over 115,000 last year.
But with potholed roads traversing treacherous mountain ranges and drivers who don't think twice about overtaking on blind corners, driving in Colombia can still be a dangerous endeavour.
While authorities have begun fining those caught driving and speaking on a cell phone - sanctioning more than 17,000 drivers in Bogota alone last year - the fund is recommending less draconian methods to discourage men from looking at women while driving.
"We are hoping for an educational campaign, to inform drivers of how dangerous this can be," said Fernandez.
Other listed distractions were drivers fussing with their appearances and looking at advertising - which in Colombia often features scantily clad women.
The study found that as male drivers grow older, they get grumpier: less focused on women but more inclined to be distracted by arguing with their passengers.
"Around the world, distraction is one of the leading causes of accidents. The reasons for distractions are different for each culture," Fernandez said. "In the United States, research has found a large cause of distraction is eating while driving, something not seen here."
© The Canadian Press 2006
Sue Ellen Mishky strikes again!
Sounds suspiciously like bragging to me. I can only adjust the inside rear view mirror with mine!
"Como este mi car-o chika!"
A slap from a woman beats a pileup in most cases.
Ugh! Put it in reverse!
(A slap from a woman beats a pileup in most cases.)
It might be a slap but she still touched ya!
Having known a few Columbian women, I can understand why.
Oh, never mind :)
NEWS FLASH!... In a dramatic reversal of its position, the National Organization of Women announced that it now positively LOVES beautiful bikini-clad vixens
Reckless eyeballing..
"Hey good looking, we'll be back to pick you up later!"
Ogling women while talking to your wife on the cell phone could also be very dangerous.
Since you got her attention, why not start a conversation?
First you see her and then
You see her again
A pretty girCRASH!!
I used to open the gas cap when stopping for full-service gas ... oh nevermind.
She can't help it if she's made that way,
she's not to blame if they look her way,
she ain't really tryin' to cause a scene,
it just comes naturally, lord the girl can't help it.
Well up on Main Street, by the taxi stand,
there's a crowd of people, and a traffic jam,
she don't look back, she ain't doin' nothing' wrong,
Lord have mercy, baby's got her blue jeans on!
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