How often do you eat while you’re driving on the road? These days, our lives are busier than ever, and you can’t deny that people need to eat (and drink, obviously). Whether you’re on a road trip or commuting to or from work, it can seem that fast food or quick meal options while on the go is the easiest choice for you.
While some people pull into the side of the eatery to eat their snacks, meals, or sip on their drinks, still more choose to hit the road or simply do not feel that they have the time in their schedule to stop. That’s all well and good, but what they may not consider is that eating while driving and even drinking lemonade from a big cup with a straw can create a situation where you’re actually driving distracted.
As any distracted driving attorney, distracted driving motor vehicle accidents occur on a daily basis. We don’t see the numbers up close because not every accident is happening right in front of our eyes, but they’re happening every single day. That’s because it only takes a few seconds for an accident to occur, and often the distraction is only for a few seconds– all that is necessary to cause injury or even fatalities to occur.
So, is eating while you’re driving dangerous? The short answer is yes. We’re going to go through it all and give you some key tips for driving safely below, so scroll down to find out more.
Distracted driving accidents kill over nine people and injure over a thousand people in the United States. Believe it or not, that is not per year or per month– that is a per-day figure.
According to NHTSA, one in every five accidents that caused injuries was caused by one or more distracted drivers. Using cell phones is the most commonly recognized form of distracted driving, with many states enacting bills or bans to address this.
Meanwhile, eating while driving remains legal. However, it still remains a form of distracted driving and is a very real factor in several of the thousands of motor vehicle accidents that occur in America annually.
Eating while driving is distracting because it can take your eyes off the road and even if you are paying attention, one or both hands is often occupied. That means you do not have both hands on the wheel and are less able to react or respond to traffic.
Paying attention to your food may also mean that you’re not paying full attention to the road. If you’re more worried about opening a ketchup packet to put on your fries, you may be missing what’s right in front of you. At the very least, your reaction time is not ideal.
Do you think you could brake efficiently when someone’s cutting you off unexpectedly with a full burrito in your hand? You can probably see how you would be better off without it. Combine eating while driving and other factors like extreme exhaustion or sleepiness or even intoxication, and the odds of an accident occurring go way up.
If you’ve been in a motor vehicle accident in the Orlando area, you need legal counsel on your side. Contact the expert lawyers at The Law Offices of Payas, Payas, and Payas to find out more.
