An academic report shows that listening to live football matches on the radio whilst driving could be a dangerous distraction to fans.

The study, commissioned by esure car insurance and carried out by scientists from the University of Leicester using a driving simulator, has been released to coincide with the Champions League Final.

It acts as a warning to motorists who are likely to listen to part or all of the match while driving that they could be putting themselves and other road-users at risk by doing so.

The report, entitled Football Focus, shows that 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.

Worrying for road users

Given that the average UK motorist listens to football on the radio three times per month according to the poll, with over two million (6%) doing so every day, and 21% once a week, these findings have potentially worrying implications for road-users.

The tests show that football fans had larger changes in speed while listening to sport on the radio.  Furthermore, at times, fans got closer to other vehicles on the road - almost tail-gating.  By contrast, the casual listener’s driving behaviour was more consistent, with or without the distraction of the radio.

The report also showed that the driving speed of football fans mirrored that of the match that they were listening to.  For example, during a match between Portsmouth and Newcastle, the pace of the match increased with a forward movement by the Newcastle team.  At the same time, the driver under scrutiny reacted by accelerating the vehicle. 

During this period, the throttle was set to maximum and the driver increased the simulation vehicle's speed from 68km/h to 77km/h in 22 seconds.  The driver also overtook another vehicle.

Get someone else to drive

Professor Michael Pont from 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 research conducted by esure also shows that 12% of motorists have been distracted and taken their eyes off the road while listening to live sports on the radio while driving, and 15% admitted to having taken their hands off the wheel, for example, if the football team they supported scored a goal.