Euros can harm your driving

Researchers have advice for Spaniards grappling with the change over to Europe’s single currency on New Year’s Day: don’t even think about it while driving.

Motorists doing the mental arithmetic of converting pesetas into euros or vice versa will be significantly distracted and run a higher risk of accidents, according to a study by a Madrid university and the Interior Ministry.

The toll of the number-crunching is important because millions of Spaniards will be on the road in the first week of January. In Spain, the Christmas holidays last until the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6.

Thirty-six participants were asked to do euro conversions in their head while driving and researchers riding with them to monitor their behaviour found, among other things, that the drivers’ pupils dilated considerably. That signalled a significant added mental effort.

The drivers also tended to look straight ahead while doing the number crunching, neglecting their rear-view mirrors and speedometer, and paid less attention to lights, such as traffic lights, the study said.