SPORTS> Off the Pitch
World Cup flags could endanger motorcyclists
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-06-02 14:04

The RAC weighed into the great England flag debate on Thursday by warning that World Cup banners fluttering from car windows can be a hazard, especially for motor cyclists.

With only just over a week to go before England's first game in Germany, the number of red and white St George's flags being flown from car windows is increasing.

Already police in rural Hampshire have warned motorists that their flags are frightening the horses.

Supermarket giant Tesco has tried to ban them from their vehicles but was forced to cave in when their drivers rebelled.

Now the venerable RAC foundation has found both good and bad things to say about them.

"Flying the flag can enhance road safety by giving drivers a sense of pride in themselves, their vehicle and their country," it said.

"The feel-good factor of getting behind the national team can also reduce road rage: there is evidence that flag-fliers let other flag-fliers pull out, and are more forgiving if they make a mistake."

But in a joint statement with the British Motorcyclists' Federation (BMF), it warned of the danger of the flags -- which are mostly clamped into closed windows -- coming loose.

A spot check of the A-13 dual carriageway east of London showed an average of three fallen flags per mile, it said, with a concentration at spots like entrance ramps where motorists speed up.

"Have you ever followed a car or a lorry flying a flag," asked one BMF member who was hit by a flag on the M4 west of London.

"I had the flag and plastic mast hit my helmet. Luckily I didn't come off but it scared the hell out of me."

The RAC and BMF suggest drivers make sure the flags are securely clamped, take them off when they go on motorways -- and that they remind passengers not to open the window.