Few people have never had something to eat or drink while driving. It’s just convenient to be able to grab a snack or meal on the way to the next destination. Perhaps you have done this on more than one occasion. Each year, Insure.com conducts a survey to determine what it is that people are eating as they drive.
While it may be convenient, eating in your car qualifies as a form of distracted driving. Numerous accidents occur each year because of a driver engaging in this behavior behind the wheel.
2020’s top 5 foods
This year, Insure.com reports that people are eating the following five foods more than any others while driving:
- Approximately 17% of drivers choose to eat energy or granola bars.
- Around 14% eat French fries.
- Potato chips are the food of choice for about 11% of drivers.
- Approximately 9% of those surveyed said they eat candy bars while driving.
- Hamburgers round out the top five list with 6% of those surveyed admitting to eating them behind the wheel.
Another question asked was whether those surveyed thought that eating while driving was a distraction. While more than 66% believe it is, many did not consider it more dangerous than texting while driving, adjusting the music or the presence of children in the vehicle. Nearly one quarter of respondents said they eat behind the wheel because of a long commute. Other answers included saving time and convenience as the reasons they do it.
Top 5 reasons its dangerous
Even though eating and driving may not be seen as quite as dangerous as other distractions, the fact remains that it leads to numerous accidents every year. Most people, perhaps you included, have been fortunate enough not to cause an accident by eating behind the wheel, but that does not mean that luck will hold. It isn’t just the eating itself that distracts you, but other activities related to it as well, such as those listed below:
- Unwrapping your food creates a significant distraction.
- If you spill something, you will at least temporarily divert your attention from driving to address it.
- If you reach for more fries, a napkin or a salt packet, you aren’t paying attention to the road.
- Putting condiments on your food distracts you.
- When you are done, you need to stash the wrappers and other containers somewhere in your vehicle, which also causes a distraction.
As you can see, more than just eating makes this activity dangerous while driving. Even if you refrain from doing it, others around you may not. If someone eating while driving causes an accident in which you suffer serious injuries, you could pursue compensation for the inevitable financial and other losses you will incur as a result through the filing of a personal injury claim in a Texas civil court.
