People have been multitasking while behind the wheel for decades, and it’s only gotten easier since motor vehicles have become more “automated” than ever before. However, driving while distracted is a serious concern and one of the major causes of car accidents. When you think of “distracted driving,” you may imagine texting while driving (one of the most dangerous forms of driver distraction), but another common form of driver distraction can be just as dangerous – eating while driving.
In today’s busy world, it’s getting harder and harder for Americans to carve out the time to make a home-cooked meal. Often, this is because we’re working long hours, or because we’re spending so much time in rush hour traffic, or because we get home too late to cook dinner.
As a direct result of living such busy, chaotic lives, we’re eating a quick breakfast from home in our car on our way to work, and picking up dinner in the drive-thru on our way home from work. Eating while driving is convenient, and millions of Americans eat more meals behind the wheel than they do at their kitchen tables.
Eating & Driving is Not Safe
Most of us are a bunch of foodies. Not only does a delicious dish catch a lot of attention on Instagram, but it also makes us feel good. Whether you’re picking up your favorite meal from a great restaurant and eating it in your car, prying open a bag of chips, or eating Halloween candy as you drive your kids around so they can go trick-or-treating, all this delicious food can be a serious cause of driver distraction. There’s no question that just about everybody has eaten while driving, though some people do it every single day while others only do it occasionally.
A McDonald’s french-fry here and a couple of chicken nougats there, a bite of a burrito, or a few licks of ice cream from a gas station can seem harmless, but if you spill hot sauce on your lap from that burrito, or if the ice cream drips all over your shirt on your way to an interview, or if you spill hot coffee on your lap, all can put you in a dangerous situation when you’re driving down a busy road or highway.
Eating while driving can get you into trouble. Here are some examples:
- Spills can cause you to look around for napkins to clean up the mess.
- Burns can catch you off-guard, causing you to suddenly jerk the steering wheel or take your hands off of the wheel altogether.
- Drips all over your shirt or lap can make your hands slippery and cause you to take your hands off the wheel and your eyes off the road.
No More Eating and Driving
When you drive, you should only be focused on the task at hand, which is driving. You should not be multitasking. If you’re absolutely ravenous, our advice is to go ahead and eat, but please pull over, slip the car into park, and turn the engine off before you dive into your meal.