Poster campaign a ‘deadly distraction’

Road safety campaigners have criticised a new billboard campaign, featuring model Kelly Brooke naked.

The new adverts, which were launched last week, show the brunette in nothing but a pair of Reebok’s new ‘Reetone’ trainers. The poster has filled billboards at busy junctions and traffic hot spots around the UK and has been labelled as a ‘deadly distraction’ by campaigners.

Driving safety experts at the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) have blasted the posters, arguing that the billboards will certainly cause serious and possibly even fatal accidents, as male drivers take their eyes off the road to get a better look.

Reebok advertisers appear to be undeterred by a previous poster printing scandal, which angered road safety campaigners, in 1994. When Wonderbra launched the infamous ‘Hello Boys’ billboard campaign, dozens of road accidents were attributed to male drivers, who had been distracted by underwear model Eva Herzigova.

Research carried out by Canadian scientists found that the number of accidents rise by nearly 50 per cent, after advertising billboards were erected at busy junctions, which highlights the dangers of roadside distractions.

Peter Rodger, Head of Driving Standards at IAM told The Daily Mail: “The fact that most men remember the “Hello boys” Wonderbra advert indicates how distracting roadside adverts can be. Some will be more distracting than others and some will be placed where the effect is particularly significant.

“They all add to the clutter pulling your visual attention away from the road and adding to the information you need to process as you drive along,” he added.