I’m just trying being cool

Blog post posted on 09/03/17 |
Insight

I was told when I was little that your face should be seen as a statement piece. Now I don’t want to expose the little birdy that told me this, so I’ll end this here but I can’t help and believe that this affects many people even subconsciously as this is becoming more and more reflective of how we operate in society.

One of the world largest image focused apps, Instagram has over 600 million active users , we now have amazing YouTube tutorials, make-up orientated focusing on how to obtain the perfect arch in your eyebrow and Kim Kardashian, who’s fame has been amplified by the use selfie (photograph terminology), that has been made so popular that it is now in the Oxford dictionary.

Whilst image focus is becoming stronger it is important to give yourself enough time to perfect or enhance your look in a suitable place and not on the road.

During the morning commute if you look left or right in your vehicle at traffic lights you often see some sort of make-up applying, hair fiddling and even shaving. In poll of 1,000 women by semi-permanent make-up specialist Debra Robson in 2013 it was found that 43% of women drivers admitted to putting on their make-up whilst driving on the daily commute. 

It’s important to leave enough time to get ready for work but many of us still try to ride a fine line and handle of beautifying process whilst on the road. The light-hearted view of this socially accepted distraction makes it seem less harmful than it really is.

Perhaps this due to the fact that over time the focus has been on more prominent distractions such as mobile phones but I am of the belief that cosmetic applying and grooming issues will rise. For instance recently a woman was shaving her bikini area while driving and crashed into the rear of an SUV. This is complete madness and recklessness.

Insurers estimated that as many as 450,000 accidents a year are caused by women drivers being distracted while applying cosmetics. Whilst this application of make-up does fall under the remit of driving with distractions, I definitely feel that this is one of many distractions that needs to be addressed sooner than later.

Ruth Peters from Olliers Motor Law said: “Applying make-up at the wheel could lead to being prosecuted for driving without due care and attention or ‘careless driving’ amongst other offences. To prove such an offence the prosecution would need to prove that your driving has fallen below the standard expected of a reasonable, prudent and competent driver. If convicted you are at risk of between 3 and 9 penalty points on your licence or in some cases a discretionary disqualification. There would also be a fine together with court and prosecution costs. Furthermore the offence would need to be reported to your insurance company and undoubtedly would lead to an increase in insurance premiums.”

Samson Ruwangu, IAM RoadSmart digital content executive