Car accidents happen for a lot of reasons, but one study claims that most of them come from the same thing: Drivers who eat while they’re behind the wheel. In fact, the study says that eating leads to as many as 80 percent of all wrecks.
The study also says that eating on the road causes 65 percent of near-crashes.
In some cases, the reason for the accident is just that the driver is paying more attention to his or her food than the road. Reaching for a hamburger or holding it up to take a bite can take a driver’s eyes off of the road. Even if they leave traffic for a split second, a crash can happen.
Deadliest Foods To Eat While Driving
In other cases, accidents happen because drivers are distracted by spilled food and drinks. In fact, coffee was the most dangerous thing to consume in the car, researchers claimed. Travel lids can help, but hot coffee can still spill all over someone when the car hits a bump. This can be painful and can cause an instant reaction where the person jerks the wheel or just looks away from the road.
Other foods that the study said were notoriously dangerous included tacos, soup, chili dogs, ribs, hamburgers, chicken wings, jelly donuts, fried chicken, chocolate and soft drinks. A lot of these are available at fast-food joints with drive-thru windows, making them easily accessible to those on the go.
While eating in the car is common, especially on road trips and daily commutes, this study shows how dangerous it really is. If a driver was too distracted with his or her food and caused an accident in which you were injured, you may deserve compensation in Illinois.
Source: NY Daily News, “Eating while driving causes 80% of all car accidents, study shows,” Jamie Locher, accessed Nov. 05, 2015