Car horns in a More Than insurance radio ad are distracting, complained one listener, who claimed it was potentially harmful to those driving in their cars.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) did not uphold the complaint against the ad which stated: “More is giving all new motor insurance customers one month free cover in the first year, then two months free cover in the second year and then two months free cover for every year after that, unless you claim.”

Fallon, speaking for More Than, said it did not believe the sound effect was distracting because it was contextualised in the ad and the car horn sound was old-fashioned.

It said that the final recording had been approved by Radio Advertising Clearance Centre (RACC).

While ASA acknowledged some radio sound effects can be distracting for listeners, it noted that Fallon and RACC had taken sufficient action to ensure the car horn sound effect would not confuse motorists while driving.

It continued that the sound effect was muted, and since it was not at the start of the ad, listeners were likely to understand that it was part of the ad, rather than an external noise.