At this point it’s fairly common knowledge that distracted driving is incredibly dangerous. It’s easy to become distracted behind the wheel, with rampant cell phone use and texting. Riverside car accident lawyers say 80% of car crashes involve driver inattention. But one of the lesser-recognized means of distraction is something we all do every day: eating. It’s not uncommon for drivers to stop and pick up food at drive through, then start munching on fries out of the bag on the way home. Maybe you have a busy day and want to eat a sandwich or burger behind the wheel to save time? Generally speaking this practice is very dangerous, but which foods take the cake for most dangerous to eat behind the wheel?
Which Foods are the Most Dangerous?
1.Chocolate
This may seem odd, but consider how messy your hands get while eating chocolate. Those dirty fingers then touch the steering wheel or the center console, or stains your clothing. It’s an inherent human reaction to want to clean the stain as soon as we see this happen, creating a significant distraction while driving.
2. Soft Drinks
Many people drive with open cans of soda or wide-lipped glasses in their cars. In the instance of a sharp turn, these items can spill on the driver or in the car. Worst case scenario, they can start rolling around below the seats. If we think texting and driving is bad, taking your eyes off the road to find a water bottle or soda can rolling on the floor is just the same – forcing us to take our eyes off the road.
3. Donuts (jelly or cream filled)
Similar to the chocolate problem, cream or jelly filled donuts can be messy. It’s depicted in movies and TV all the time – someone taking a big bite of a jelly donut, and the filling squeezing out the other side onto their shirt. That moment of shock and awe at your own misfortune can be a tremendous distraction.
4. Fried Chicken
While delicious, fried chicken is greasy. Not only can the crumbs make a mess and spike a driver’s anxiety, but the grease transferred to their hands can make for a very distracting drive. Separate from leaving grease stains, your hands and fingers can become much more slippery as you try to grip the steering wheel or clutch in some vehicles. It’s best to save this food for home.
5. Hamburgers
Burgers are one of the most common foods eaten in vehicles, largely because of the popularity of drive through restaurants. Similar to any of the items listed above, however, hamburgers can be notoriously distracting. They are not easy to eat, especially if fully stacked with meat and vegetables.
6. Chili (or anything containing it)
This one seems weird, but as will all of our other drippy foods, chili can cause tremendous distraction when it falls somewhere other than your mouth. Despite how difficult it would be to eat a bowl of chili behind the wheel, think about all the foods chili can top. That includes chili dogs, chili fries, chili burgers, poutine, or any other combination. These foods are likely to miss your mouth and end up all over your clothes or your car.
7. Tacos
In order to eat a taco behind the wheel, a serious head tilt is required. Not only does this take one hand off the steering wheel to hold a taco, it also changes your line of vision to misalign from the road in front of you. These actions in combination can affect your observations and how you react certain situations on the road.
8. Hot Soup
Not sure why anyone would think this is a good idea, as soup should require two hands to eat. While many finger foods are certainly distracting to eat behind the wheel, anything that requires utensils poses an additional challenge and risk to your safety. In the instance a driver is sipping soup straight from the cup, they run the additional risk of spilling hot liquid on their body.
9. Coffee
Coffee is the most dangerous thing to drink behind the wheel for the same reasons listed above. If a driver hits a pothole or a speedbump, their coffee could spill down their front and burn them. Coffee is responsible for more distracted driving accidents than any other food item.
Eating and Driving Statistics
Studies show that drivers who eat or drink behind the wheel are 3.6 times more likely to be in a crash than drivers who give the road their full attention. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that nearly 65% of near-miss crashes are the result of eating while driving. And up to 83% of drivers have reported drinking some kind of beverage behind the wheel. The frequency at which drivers fall victim to this distraction can make the effects seem less significant. However, eating and driving really does increase the odds of a car crash.
All forms of distracted driving, including eating, texting, reading, driving drowsy, listening to music too loud, talking to passengers, using a handheld device, and more pose very dangerous risks to yourself and other drivers. It may seem like a remedial task, but anything that diverts your attention from the road could be a life-changing error in judgement. Drive safely, and don’t eat behind the wheel.