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Researchers have found that men are far more likely to take their attention off the road in hot weather than women – because they find themselves all too easily distracted by female summer attire. Skimpy skirts and tiny tops are being partly blamed for an increase in insurance claims being made by men during the summer months.

The research, commissioned by Sheilas’ Wheels, an insurance company dedicated to providing cover for women drivers, found that 29 per cent of men had trouble focusing on the road when they were faced with women in revealing outfits. The findings echo road-safety concerns voiced in 1994 when Eva Herzigova could be seen on roadside posters advertising the Wonderbra.

The hot weather is also to blame for more male drivers becoming hot under the collar than female motorists. Increasing temperatures made over 20 per cent of men prone to road rage, the statistics revealed. A quarter of all males also admitted that they had actually crashed a vehicle, or had a near-miss, at least once in the last five years, during the summer months.

Donna Dawson, a behavioural psychologist, said research proved that a man’s attention was more easily taken away from the business of driving than a woman’s. She added that male testosterone levels meant that they were quicker to get fired up than women and more prone to displaying that frustration and anger.

In contrast to the number of males admitting that they were distracted by women in their little summer dresses, only three percent of the women polled said they were distracted by a man’s summer attire.