As the celebrity trend for long, eye-skimming fringes rages on, Britain’s female motorists are putting themselves and their passengers at risk. Almost 190,000* admit that they have had an accident, ‘near miss’ or made a sudden manoeuvre as a result of their vision being limited by their hair whilst driving.  

The research conducted by female-friendly car insurer Sheilas’ Wheels, reveals that a massive 67 per cent of women currently have a hairstyle that can fall in their eyes whilst driving. However, despite this risk, only a fifth of women (21 per cent) always secure their hair off their face before getting behind the wheel.  Indeed, more than 9 million female motorists say that they never secure their hair back before driving.

The most common reasons cited by women for not securing hair back in the car include: not believing it necessary (33 per cent), not remembering to bring a hair tie (8 per cent) and not wanting to ruin an existing hairstyle (8 per cent).

Considering more than half of women (53 per cent) prioritise style over practicality when it comes to hairstyles, and more than 9 and a half million female drivers admit to giving no thought to how their peripheral vision might be affected when sitting in the hairdresser’s chair, this is an issue that women should be taking more seriously. 

As well as obstructing female motorists’ sight, the latest hair trends are also distracting women’s attention in the car – 57 per cent of women confess to taking their hands off the wheel to rearrange their hair or push it off their face, leaving them temporarily out of control of their car.

Women in Northern Ireland are the most trend-conscious, with a massive 80 per cent admitting to changing their hair to follow their latest celebrity or style icon. In contrast, female motorists in the North East are the least fashion-following, with over half (55 per cent) saying that celebrity hair trends never influence their hair style. Female motorists in the South West are the safest drivers – 53 per cent of drivers in this region rate their hair style as ‘totally practical’.

Martyn Maxey, hairdresser to the stars, commented: “For some celebrities, a change of hairstyle is headline news. Take Kate Moss and The Fringe for example – in recent weeks we’ve been inundated with requests for the long fringe and despite it falling over the eyes, it’s now a fashion statement and people want it.”

Martyn Maxey’s top tips for safe driving and gorgeous hair:

• It is easy to keep a simple headband or alice band in your car’s glove compartment at all times
• For the extremely style-conscious there are a variety of hair slides that are fashionable at the moment from classic tortoiseshell to diamante ‘bling’ for a night out
• If you have a long fringe and want it to look immaculate when arriving at your destination, leave in a chunky velcro roller to hold it out of your eyes. When you remove it, your fringe will be styled perfectly
• For the ultimate in glamour, a pair of Chanel sunglasses secured tightly on the top of your head will push all stray hair away from the face

The following hairstyles were voted the top three most dangerous on the roads:

1. The long fringe (50 per cent)
2. Sweeping fringe (44 per cent)
3. Short layers to frame the face (5 per cent)

Sheilas’ Wheels understands that fashionable hairstyles are not always going to be the most practical, which is why they are appealing to female motorists to keep hair accessories in their glove compartments at all times.

Jacky Brown at Sheilas’ Wheels, comments: “Not many women think of their hair as a potential driving distraction, but with the latest trends all requiring styling around the face and eyes, it’s essential that female motorists are aware of this safety issue.

“There are so many hair accessories available that can secure hair in place without compromising style, it’s just about finding the right one for you and making sure it’s handy whenever you step behind the wheel.”  
 
* Sheilas’ Wheels used the independent online research company MyVoice who surveyed 1,000 of the UK’s female drivers, from across the country aged 18 and over, on 5th December 2007