Do You Eat While You Drive?
By John McGran, eDiets Editor-in-Chief
Time for a show of hands:Who here is guilty of DUIF,driving under the influence of food? Most all of us, right?
Well, I bet you didn't know that eating and driving puts you at an increased risk of an accident. It's true. In fact, one study calls driving while dining a worse offense than cruising and chatting on your cell phone.
Living life in the fast lane forces a lot of us to cut corners. And what better way to kill two birds with one stone than to have your cake and eat it too while you drive to or from work? The few precious moments you save may eventually cost you a lot more, according to researchers. These road worriers warn that the life you save may be your own.
That being said, it's time to look at the worst offenders. No, I am not talking about NASCAR driver wanna be Joe Jones, who can balance a Big Mac and a large drink while zooming down the interstate at 90 miles an hour. I am talking about the top 10 worst foods you should never eat while you drive.
NOTE: The info I am about to share comes from a report compiled by Hagerty Classic Insurance of Traverse City, Michigan. By listing the 10 worst foods, I am by no means approving the eating of all other foods while you got one foot on the gas and one hand -- or worse yet, one knee -- on the steering wheel Eating and driving is one "crash diet" we should all avoid.
While compiling stats on accidents caused by driver distraction, bean counters at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) discovered eating was a bigger distraction than using a hand held cell phone.
According to NHTSA, 26 percent of all traffic fatalities among America's 185,500,000 licensed drivers are caused by driver distraction.
The revelation led to the development of Hagerty's list of the "10 Most Dangerous Foods To Eat While Driving." Hagerty's researchers then rated common foods eaten in cars according to the degree of distraction, degree of difficulty in eating with only one hand on the wheel,and the food's popularity. They ranked the top 10 foods from bad to worst:
10. Chocolate! Whatever you touch -- steering wheels, gear shift, clothing, hair -- will get stained. Drivers' instinctive reactions are to clean up immediately and that distracts them from the road ahead.
9. Soft Drinks! Suddenly soaking up your soda as you pull out to pass could be a deadly distraction. Open containers of hot or cold liquids can cause a lack of concentration when spilled across a shirt or lap.
8. Jelly or Cream-Filled Donuts! Imagine the disaster as messy jelly oozes onto a driver's shirt or lap.
7. Fried Chicken! Greasy hands are a major distraction. And grease on a steering wheel is almost impossible to get off.
6. Barbecued Food: Always keep in mind, "If it can drip, don't eat it while you drive!"
5. Juicy Burgers! A $5 hamburger deluxe could turn into $5,000 worth of repairs if dripping condiments, special sauces or greasy meat juices distract the driver.
4. Chili! Steering chili-covered foods to your mouth while steering a car around a corner requires more dexterity than many of us are blessed with.
3. Tacos! It's tough enough to cleanly eat a crispy shelled taco at home. One good road bump and the seat of your car will look like a salad bar.
2. Hot Soups! Eating soup while trying to shift and steer can land you in hot water quick. It's the equivalent of a circus juggling act.
1. Coffee! Uncovered drinks are the worst offenders for distracting splashes and spills. Hot coffee is often served at lava-like temperatures. If it burns your mouth, you can imagine how badly it will feel as it rains down in your lap.
Additional food for thought:
• More food-related accidents happen in the morning. Why? Mainly because people are concerned about their appearance on the way to work. That little spill can easily distract and cause evasive actions that can lead to accidents.
• The odds of having a food-related accident doubles if the car, truck or SUV has a stick shift.
• The most hazardous situation: a combo of eating and gabbing on your cell phone.
(Jacques' Note:) John's findings are all extremely pragmatic and following them can surely save A LOT of pain, injuries, costly property damage ...most of all: LIVES!.
Wishing you a SAFE weekend! Your Friend,
Jacques
Time for a show of hands:Who here is guilty of DUIF,driving under the influence of food? Most all of us, right?
Well, I bet you didn't know that eating and driving puts you at an increased risk of an accident. It's true. In fact, one study calls driving while dining a worse offense than cruising and chatting on your cell phone.
Living life in the fast lane forces a lot of us to cut corners. And what better way to kill two birds with one stone than to have your cake and eat it too while you drive to or from work? The few precious moments you save may eventually cost you a lot more, according to researchers. These road worriers warn that the life you save may be your own.
That being said, it's time to look at the worst offenders. No, I am not talking about NASCAR driver wanna be Joe Jones, who can balance a Big Mac and a large drink while zooming down the interstate at 90 miles an hour. I am talking about the top 10 worst foods you should never eat while you drive.
NOTE: The info I am about to share comes from a report compiled by Hagerty Classic Insurance of Traverse City, Michigan. By listing the 10 worst foods, I am by no means approving the eating of all other foods while you got one foot on the gas and one hand -- or worse yet, one knee -- on the steering wheel Eating and driving is one "crash diet" we should all avoid.
While compiling stats on accidents caused by driver distraction, bean counters at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) discovered eating was a bigger distraction than using a hand held cell phone.
According to NHTSA, 26 percent of all traffic fatalities among America's 185,500,000 licensed drivers are caused by driver distraction.
The revelation led to the development of Hagerty's list of the "10 Most Dangerous Foods To Eat While Driving." Hagerty's researchers then rated common foods eaten in cars according to the degree of distraction, degree of difficulty in eating with only one hand on the wheel,and the food's popularity. They ranked the top 10 foods from bad to worst:
10. Chocolate! Whatever you touch -- steering wheels, gear shift, clothing, hair -- will get stained. Drivers' instinctive reactions are to clean up immediately and that distracts them from the road ahead.
9. Soft Drinks! Suddenly soaking up your soda as you pull out to pass could be a deadly distraction. Open containers of hot or cold liquids can cause a lack of concentration when spilled across a shirt or lap.
8. Jelly or Cream-Filled Donuts! Imagine the disaster as messy jelly oozes onto a driver's shirt or lap.
7. Fried Chicken! Greasy hands are a major distraction. And grease on a steering wheel is almost impossible to get off.
6. Barbecued Food: Always keep in mind, "If it can drip, don't eat it while you drive!"
5. Juicy Burgers! A $5 hamburger deluxe could turn into $5,000 worth of repairs if dripping condiments, special sauces or greasy meat juices distract the driver.
4. Chili! Steering chili-covered foods to your mouth while steering a car around a corner requires more dexterity than many of us are blessed with.
3. Tacos! It's tough enough to cleanly eat a crispy shelled taco at home. One good road bump and the seat of your car will look like a salad bar.
2. Hot Soups! Eating soup while trying to shift and steer can land you in hot water quick. It's the equivalent of a circus juggling act.
1. Coffee! Uncovered drinks are the worst offenders for distracting splashes and spills. Hot coffee is often served at lava-like temperatures. If it burns your mouth, you can imagine how badly it will feel as it rains down in your lap.
Additional food for thought:
• More food-related accidents happen in the morning. Why? Mainly because people are concerned about their appearance on the way to work. That little spill can easily distract and cause evasive actions that can lead to accidents.
• The odds of having a food-related accident doubles if the car, truck or SUV has a stick shift.
• The most hazardous situation: a combo of eating and gabbing on your cell phone.
(Jacques' Note:) John's findings are all extremely pragmatic and following them can surely save A LOT of pain, injuries, costly property damage ...most of all: LIVES!.
Wishing you a SAFE weekend! Your Friend,
Jacques
posted by Jacques Girard, Ph.D. at 8:55 AM
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