Haw dangerous is eating while driving?

On Behalf of | Sep 28, 2018 | Car Accidents |

Seeing all of the recent awareness campaigns aimed at stopping people from texting or using their cell phones while driving may have you feeling much more comfortable about the likelihood of you encountering a distracted driver on Dallas’ roads. The trouble is that there is another form of driving distraction that may be even more prevalent than texting while driving, yet just as dangerous: eating while driving. This may seem shocking given that few (if any) people probably do not view such an action as being distracting. Statistics show, however, that it indeed is. 

A joint effort between The Auto Alliance and The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has produced some alarming information regarding the dangers of eating while driving. Research shows that those who eat behind the wheel are 3.6 times more likely than other drivers to be involved in an accident. You (like most people) may view eating as being such a natural action that it hardly takes any attention at all. Yet to eat while drive, you must take at least one hand off the wheel, and you must divert your vision and attention away from the road (even if only for a moment) to focus on your food. The same distractions are present if you try to send a text while driving (an action that is almost universally accepted as being distracting). 

What is more, a study conducted by ExxonMobil suggests that as many as 70 percent of drivers eat while driving. If you do happen to be involved in an accident, then, that is caused by another, this statistic shows that there might be a good chance the at-fault driver was eating behind the wheel. Grease or condiment stains on clothing, as well as food wrappers or half-eaten items in said driver’s vehicle may confirm this suspicion.