Do you eat and drive at the same time?

I thought about this and realized that other than a rare French fry nabbed from the bag on occasion – and once a juicy red apple I simply couldn’t resist! – my eating habits behind the wheel are almost non-existent, however, I’m certainly guilty of consuming cola and iced tea while driving!  

According to a study released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, eating while driving is one of the most distracting things we can do. They go on to say that eighty percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involve driver distraction.

According to the NHTSA, distraction is most likely to be involved in rear-end collisions where the lead vehicle is stopped, as well as in single-vehicle crashes. The NHTSA also reports that eating distractions can become a problem for drivers who can’t react quickly to sharp bends in the road or another driver’s sudden stop.

Unfortunately, just one accident may increase your car insurance rates as much as 25 percent.  Exxon surveyed 1,000 drivers and discovered more than 70 percent of drivers eat while driving and 83 percent drink beverages.

According to Insurance.com, here are the 10 Foods to Avoid While Driving:

1. Coffee: Even with a travel lid, hot coffee can find its way out of the opening when you hit a bump.
2. Soup: Many people drink it like coffee and run the same risks.
3. Tacos: Any food that can disassemble itself will leave your car looking like a salad bar.
4. Chili Dogs: Huge potential for drips and slops down the front of clothing.
5. Hamburgers: From the grease to the toppings, it could end up on your hands and the steering wheel.
6. Ribs and Wings: What’s more distracting than licking your fingers?
7. Fried Chicken: Greasy hands. You’ve got to wipe them off while you’re driving.
8. Jelly Donuts: It’s not possible to eat one without watching the center ooze out.
9. Drinking Soda: Carbonation. Fizz in the nose. Lids that leak. 
10. Chocolate: Try to clean melted chocolate off the steering wheel without swerving.

The NHTSA study also cites the following driver distractions as even more reasons for car crashes – and ultimately higher auto insurance rates:

• Using a cell phone
• Reaching for a moving object
• Looking at an object or event outside of the vehicle
• Reading. Or tweeting for the closest BBQ?
• Applying makeup

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