The majority of car crashes occur when a driver fails to pay attention to their surroundings.

But one confused motorist in China has caused a road accident despite her best efforts to be vigilant and obey the laws of the road.

Images have emerged on Chinese social media of a collision which is believed to have been caused after a woman mistook a monkey's bottom for a red light in Zunyi, Guizhou, Chinese news site BBS reported.

View photos The woman bizarrely believed the monkey's bottom was a traffic light. Source: BBS More

The woman was driving down a road when she glanced up at a traffic pole before slamming on the brakes after spotting what she believed was a red light.

Another motorist failed to react in time and ploughed into the rear of her vehicle.

The woman is pictured remonstrating with the other driver and bemused bystanders, pointing at the monkey to try to explain the misunderstanding.

The animal had apparently es­caped from a nearby circus leaving the circus manager footing the bill for the accident victims.

View photos The accident was caused by this rogue circus act. Source: BBS More