Why eating on the way to work is a dangerous choice

On Behalf of | Feb 3, 2025 | Motor vehicle accidents |

Many professionals have a significant commute to work every day. They spend a half an hour or more in traffic on their way to work and possibly even longer on their way home again in the afternoon. After years of commuting to work, many people become frustrated by that lost time.

They may try to reclaim that time by multitasking. Some professionals might take phone calls or answer messages from their supervisors or clients on their way to or from work. Thankfully, most people now recognize that handling a mobile phone while driving is a dangerous choice.

What they may not consider is that many other forms of multitasking can be equally dangerous. The decision to eat a meal on the way to work could ultimately be the reason why a professional causes a crash and ends up missing a shift. Although drivers often overlooked eating as a source of distraction, it can easily lead to a crash.

Eating triggers all three kinds of distraction

Professionals tend to categorize distraction into three separate categories. There is visual distraction which involves looking somewhere other than the road ahead. There’s cognitive distraction which entails mentally focusing on something other than driving. Finally, there’s manual distraction, which occurs when people take their hands off of the steering wheel

Eating while driving typically causes all three of these kinds of distractions simultaneously, making it roughly as dangerous as texting while driving. Drivers generally have to take at least one hand off of the steering wheel to grab fries from a bag or hold a cup of coffee. They may need to look down at their food occasionally. They also inevitably end up mentally focusing on the flavor of the food or on their attempts to avoid spilling ketchup or hot sauce.

Eating and drinking while driving can be dangerous even if nothing goes wrong. Motorists also have to consider the possibility that they might spill something, resulting in a burn and an involuntary reaction. Some people might slam on the brakes, while others might hit the steering wheel as they attempt to clean up the food or beverage that burned them.

Motorists can protect themselves by choosing not to eat and drink while driving. They may want to remember the dangers of eating and drinking while driving so that they can hold other motorists accountable. If someone who causes a crash exits their vehicle covered in coffee or ketchup, that is a likely indicator that the person at fault for the wreck was distracted at the time they caused the crash.

Holding distracted drivers accountable for motor vehicle collisions can help people affected by that distraction cover their expenses. Both insurance claims and personal injury lawsuits might be possible when a distracted driver causes a wreck because of their morning coffee or breakfast.