Auto insurance advert featuring ex-Formula One ace David Coulthard banned for encouraging dangerous driving

A CAR insurance ad starring ex-Formula One ace David Coulthard disguised like a cabbie has been suspended for encouraging dangerous driving.

The Scot, 46, wore an incorrect beard to perform high-speed stunts on public roads with passengers within the back.

The TV commercial plugged an Aviva app.

It carried a disclaimer warning viewers not to copy scenes, which the insurer billed as part of an Aviva Extreme Driving Experiment.

But the Advertising Standards Authority received 58 complaints and banned the ad.

The watchdog said: “It featured reckless driving on public roads and therefore encouraged dangerous and irresponsible driving.”

Aviva had unsuccessfully argued Coulthard's stunts “encouraged and promoted” safer driving.