We have all been there, rushing around throughout the day with no time to sit down and eat. Because we are often on the go, the only time we can find to eat is on the road. However, eating when you are driving is a form of distracted driving, and it can be dangerous. Here are some reasons why you should never eat behind the wheel.
It Slows Our Reaction Times
If your hands are off the wheel to hold onto a drink or a sandwich, then you won’t be able to react as fast if something happens. This is especially true if you are eating something that needs unwrapping or something that is difficult to hold onto. Some people even take both hands off the wheel to eat their food, which is even more dangerous.
It Is a Visual Distraction
A visual distraction is something that causes a driver to take their eyes off the road. Both eating and drinking cause visual distractions, even if the motion is as small as glancing down while you put your cup in the cup holder. Some visual distractions are more severe, such as looking at your burger to find out where to take your next bite or looking down to grab a french fry out of the bag.
It Is a Cognitive Distraction
A cognitive distraction is something that takes a driver’s mind and their focus away from the road. When eating behind the wheel, you might be thinking about unwrapping your food or concentrating on not spilling or dripping. Even if you’re just taking a large bite of something, your focus changes and you can miss things happening on the road around you.
Spilling
Drinking hot beverages, such as coffee or tea, is more dangerous than many drivers realize. Spilling a drink when driving is distracting, but if it is hot, it is even worse. It can put you and others on the road around you in danger if your focus is on the scalding liquid that just ended up in your lap, and not on the road in front of you.
The Greasy Wheel
Many foods that we eat on the go can make our hands greasy or slippery. Burger grease or the sweat on the side of a soda bottle can make your hands wet and keep you from getting a good grip on the steering wheel. This can make it dangerous when turning in traffic or around tight corners on back winding roads, where it is important to have a good handle on the wheel.
There is no room for multitasking when you drive. It doesn’t matter if you have a hamburger or a piece of fruit, or if you send a text on your phone — these are all things that cause distracted driving. It is important to realize how dangerous eating and driving really is. If you wait until you get home or stop and eat before you get behind the wheel, it could save your life.
Image via Flickr by wuestenigel, used under CC BY 2.0
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