Eating while driving can be tempting, especially when you’re running late for work or are on an extended road trip. But if you’re acting as the driver, you should resist the urge to chow down from behind the wheel, and pull off the road or park somewhere for your snacking instead. Eating is a major distraction, and may lead to a collision. It’s not as dangerous as tending to your children while driving, however. These top 5 worst foods to eat in the car should always be avoided.
1. Burritos
While delicious, burritos can be nearly impossible to eat without spilling at the table, let alone from behind the wheel. In fact, just unwrapping the burrito to eat it can be a challenge while driving.
2. Soup
Hot soup is something that should never be consumed when driving, and should probably be avoided in the car in general (by passengers as well). The “soup at hand” style of soup made for drinking could be a possible substitute but not when it is hot. Unless you are willing to drink cold soup, hold off until you can get home and enjoy it fully.
3. Ice Cream
On a hot day, ice cream can be a tempting snack to grab. But ice cream is messy, and a spill is bound to happen. Even if you don’t care about the interior of your car (which you should if you are eating ice cream because the smell of spoiled milk will linger for days), it is a natural human tendency to follow moving objects so the drips will continually pull your eyes away from the road.
4. Hamburgers
A stop at the drive-through for a burger might be on your mind, but if you want to be safe, you’ll say no to anything that requires unwrapping. Even looking down for one second to unwrap a burger is enough time to cause an accident. Distraction.gov states that in five seconds, a car traveling at 55 miles per hour can go the distance of a football field. If you’re not looking at the road, a lot can happen in that amount of time.
5. Coffee
You may think that coffee isn’t a danger to have when driving, but you couldn’t be more wrong. Coffee can easily spill, and when hot, can cause severe burn injuries and lead to an accident. Pair that with the fact that most people drink coffee on the way to work or school — two places where you don’t want to show up with a coffee stain on your clothes — and you will find yourself paying more attention to the inside of your vehicle than maneuvering through traffic.
Protect Yourself from the Dangers of Distracted Driving
To make sure you’re driving as safely as you can, make sure you cut out any distractions. You can read about other ways that car crashes are caused in our auto accidents library. And if you’re in an accident that’s caused by a distracted driver, make sure that you call our attorneys at Cordisco & Saile LLC. You can reach us at 215-642-2335.
