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To be fair to this US National Guard sergeant in 1964, he at least got out of his vehicle to perform his morning ablutions... AP Photo/Dozier Mobley/Press Association

A quarter of motorists groom themselves while driving

International survey shows that up to 20 per cent admit to having changed their clothes while behind the wheel.

KEEP YOUR EYES on the road this morning – especially if you plan to drive and preen.

A new international study from Allianz, seen by TheJournal.ie, shows that 27 per cent of those surveyed admitted to having worked on their styling, clothing or body care while behind the wheel. This category included activities such as:

  • Putting on jewellery or watches
  • Checking their clothing
  • Adjusting their hairstyle
  • Investigating skin or teeth
  • Nail care
  • Changing their glasses
  • Putting on sunscreen
  • Taking medication
  • Putting on or removing a neck tie
  • Changing into comfortable shoes

Drivers are most likely to attend to these matters while on a work commute. One in five of those surveyed admitted they had changed an item of clothing while behind the wheel.

Allianz noted that applying make-up was one of the riskiest tasks carried out by motorists – research shows that it distract around 40 per cent of a driver’s attention and increases the risk of an accident threefold.

The survey was carried out across 22,000 people in the UK, France, Austria and Ireland.

An AA survey for Ireland’s driving habits last year found that Irish drivers are indeed easily distracted. Nearly a quarter of women surveyed in that study admitted to applying make-up while driving while 4 per cent of men said they had used an electric shaver while behind the wheel.

Eating and drinking while driving a ‘major distraction’, says AA>

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    Mute Honeybee
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    Feb 15th 2023, 2:12 PM

    No matter how you dress it up the truth is that all governments of the day have sought to deny citizens their rights and entitlements based on the fact that citizens have no knowledge of their entitlements, how to qualify like signing for credits to be entitled to a pension when they reach pensionable age if they are out of the workforce for caring roles or what exactly their medical card covers before charges are levied or indeed if they have a long term illness that they may be entitled to medication. In the case above. it is galling to hear Watt say “I don’t think anyone disputes that it was unfair … that’s different to legal entitlement.” There are none so blind as those who will not see and it is those most in need to are treated with such distain.

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    Mute John Smith
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    Feb 15th 2023, 3:55 PM

    Is something is wrong. And you know it’s wrong. Saying but nobody told me it was wrong is just plain stupid.

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    Mute Joan Grennan
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    Feb 15th 2023, 3:44 PM

    Still , you have to have some sympathy for the tax payers and governments of the current era .They are expected to compensate everyone back to the foundation of the state ..I mean all the descendents of the executed 1916 leaders should be compensated should they not but by whom ,Britain I suppose .As for monies paid by nursing home residents many of whom have passed away is that to go to their ‘loved’ ones for extensions to houses, sun holidays and all the rest . Special needs people in care homes are frequently not capable of making a will and their money will go to random relatives who may have never visited them once when they were alive .We are a grand little country shure

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