Eating or drinking in a car may not be the most common cause of distracted driving accidents, but it’s still a bad idea.
Drivers typically take one or even both hands off the steering wheel while eating, which makes controlling the vehicle more difficult. Grabbing a quick meal while rushing around New York is quite common, but it can be incredibly dangerous to “eat and drive.”
Steering While Eating
Optimal control over a vehicle requires the use of both hands. Even taking one hand off the wheel to grab a drink or pull fries out of a bag can reduce how well you can steer. Worse still, some drivers take both hands off the wheel to hold food and try to drive with their knees.
Is It Safer to Use a Cup holder?
Unfortunately, the use of a cup holder is not necessarily safer for a driver with a beverage. Just about every modern vehicle includes cup holders designed to hold a beverage while the car is in motion. This is a safety feature, since it helps keep a driver’s hands free. But at some point, the driver still has to take the cup, can, or bottle out of the holder. When a driver does this, he or she may be tempted to look away from the road for a moment, which is all it takes for an accident to happen.
Snacking While Stopped
During long drives, it is natural for a driver to become hungry or thirsty. The safest way to enjoy food or beverage while driving is to eat or drink only when stopped at a traffic light or pulled over for a short break. This may seem like a hassle, but it can help avoid property damage and even serious injury by reducing the risk of a distracted driving accident.
Hit by a Distracted Driver?
If you or someone you know has been in an accident with a distracted driver, then let Wingate, Russotti, Shapiro, Moses & Halperin, LLP, put its knowledge and experience to work for you. Rear-end collisions are especially common. Call us today at (212) 986-7353 and tell us about what happened.