Eating while driving doubles crash risk

by Nicole Weston, Posted Aug 21st 2006 @ 9:02AM

Have you ever mentally shaken a fist at someone driving recklessly, chatting on his or her cell phone instead of watching the road? Probably. Have you even done that while sipping a shake or eating a snack-sized bag of chips, still sitting in traffic? If so, you were no better off than that other guy.

After extensive testing on car simulators, researchers in England concluded that eating or drinking while driving seriously impairs your reaction time and increases the likelihood of getting into an accident, despite the fact that many drivers actually drive more slowly while eating.

The simulation involved driving through a city environment and, at some point, being confronted with a pedestrian stepping out into the street. 9 out of 10 eating drivers had an accident. Some say that this is proof that eating in the car should be regulated, but if so, will changing the radio station be next?

Your best bet is to drive with your own safety in mind and try to take a sip or two of your coffee while stopped at a red light, not while merging onto the highway.

Source

Filed Under: Science, Did you know?
Tags: accident, accidents, car, cars, coffee, did you know, drink, drinking, drive, drivign, eat, eating, eating while driving, food, reaction time