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The Dangers Of Eating Behind The Wheel

Distracted driving can take several different forms including texting, applying makeup, changing music or even daydreaming. While there are no laws prohibiting eating and driving, that doesn’t make it any less dangerous. There are three common kinds of distractions that impair a driver’s ability to safely operate their vehicle and avoid crashes:
  • Visual distractions happen when the driver’s eyes are diverted away from the road in order to compete or pay attention to another task, such as checking on children sitting in the backseat.
  • Manual distractions are those that require the driver to take their hands off of the wheel, such as typing information into a GPS or texting.
  • Cognitive distractions are what take the driver’s mind and focus away from driving, such as listening to music or talking to someone else in the vehicle.
Each of these types of distractions are dangerous all on their own, but when combined they can pose an even greater risk to driver passenger, and pedestrian safety. Unfortunately, eating while driving does just that. From having to unwrap food packaging to holding the food with at least one hand to applying condiments, eating takes a lot of effort. Not to mention the risk of spilling hot beverages and food items that can be quite painful and distracting for a driver to deal with on the road. While all types of food carry a certain amount of distraction, some are worse than others. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ranked the most dangerous foods to eat on road which include: chocolate, soft drinks, jelly and cream filled or powdered doughnuts, fried chicken, barbecued food, hamburgers, chili, tacos, soups, and coffee. Whether you were running late to work or just trying to save yourself a little time while sitting through traffic, we have all been guilty of eating behind the wheel at some point in our life, but just how bad is it?

Eating and Driving Statistics

  • During a 2010 study, it was found that in the past 30 years distracted driving, including eating, has increased from 20% to almost 50%.
  • A study done by Lytx showed that drivers with food and drink are 3.6 times more likely to be in a car crash than those who don’t.
  • The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimate that eating and drinking behind the wheel increases the likelihood of crashes by 80%. Additionally, 65% of near miss crashes were caused by drivers who are eating or drinking.
  • Researchers from the University of Leeds found that drivers who were eating and drinking while driving were 44% slower to react than usual.

Is it illegal to eat behind the wheel?

As we have mentioned before, there is no law that prohibits eating while driving. However, distracted driving laws can leave room for interpretation. For example, a man in Georgia was pulled over and ticketed for eating a cheeseburger while driving, the charges were later dropped. New Jersey has even gone a step farther and introduced a bill that would punish drivers who eat or drink while behind the wheel. Additionally, this grey area of the law can hurt you if you find yourself in a car accident. As any personal injury attorney will tell you, if eating and drinking while driving lead to an accident, you will be considered negligent even if it is not considered illegal to do so.