Call To Ban Sexy Roadside Adverts

Monday June 18, 2007

Eye-catching billboards showing scantily-clad models are said to be so distracting for motorists that a campaign is under way in Greece to have them banned.

A lawyer has launched a compensation claim for £8m after losing a son in a road accident he believes was caused by provocative advertising.

Athanasios Tsokos says too many drivers are taking their eyes off the road to ogle models advertising cigarettes, perfume and mobile phone services.

Some are a series of "rolling ads" with motorists encouraged to see what will be on show next.

According to The Guardian, an Athens traffic official estimates that roadside adverts are responsible for 10% of all accidents in the capital.

"Many of them not only hide traffic lights and road signs, they are put up illegally," he told the paper.

Earlier this year, a Greek court upheld a claim from Mr Tsokos that the government was responsible for keeping the nation's roads clear of illegal billboards.

Local councils are being ordered to enforce the law by having them removed.

Athens alone is estimated to have 15,000 illegal billboards - many badly erected and liable to fall down or blow away.

More than 2,000 people die on Greek roads every year and 4,000 are seriously injured.