Why eating and driving is dangerous – auto accident injury lawyers. Every day, distracted driving kills more than nine people and injures another 1,060 individuals.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 1 in 5 car accidents that resulted in injuries involved a distracted driver. In recent years, the primary focus associated with the problem of distracted driving been geared towards the habit of texting and driving. Many states have instituted a partial or complete ban on cell phone use while behind the wheel, in an effort to curb distracted driving. To address the problem further, it is important to focus on other forms of distracted driving as well, for example, eating while driving.

Eating While Driving – An Unrecognized Danger

Eating while driving is common. According to NHTSA, almost 50 percent of drivers eat or drink while driving. However, only 17 percent believe that eating while driving is dangerous. The academic journal Accident Analysis and Prevention also explains that eating while driving is a major source of driver distraction.

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Eating While Driving – Why Is it Dangerous?

• It prevents drivers from keeping their hands on the steering wheel, and in some cases, causes the driver to steer with their knees.
• It forces the driver to take their eyes off the road.
• It prevents the driver from noticing signs of danger on the road, such as changes in road conditions, changing signals, a wrong-way driver, or key road signs.
• It slows down the driver’s reaction time and prevents him or her from making necessary and timely maneuvers in order to avoid a crash.

The risk increases, even more, when the driver who is eating also happens to be intoxicated, inexperienced, or fatigued because then it is more likely that the driver would have impaired judgment.

Avoid Distracted Driving – Eating and Driving Houston Car Accident Lawyer

One simple way that a driver can avoid eating while driving is to avoid drive-through restaurants. Although these eateries are convenient, eating and driving causes serious distraction and puts you in harm’s way. Eating and driving can cause serious accidents that lead to severe injuries and even death. The distracted driver not only puts his or her own life in danger but also that of the other drivers they are sharing the road with.