Don't Eat and Drive – Busy Lifestyles Put Lives At Risk

Eating while driving dramatically increases the chances of losing control of a vehicle and crashing.That's according to Brake, the road safety charity.

Julie Townsend, Chief Executive of the organisation, has warned motorists to save their food for the dinner table or service station rather than risking injury to themselves and others through snacking in the fast lane.

“Eating at the wheel often means taking your eyes, hands and mind off the road and dramatically increases your chances of crashing and killing or seriously injuring someone,” explained Ms Townsend.

“Drivers need to take regular breaks and make time away from their vehicles to enjoy lunch or perform other tasks.”

Brake is calling on the Government to raise fines for distracted and careless drivers in a bid to rid to the roads of “risky multi-tasking drivers”.

The road safety charity revealed that more than six in ten have eaten at the wheel in the past year according to their research. The study, which canvassed 1,000 motorists also found that three in ten unwrapped food themselves at the wheel – a telling symptom of busy lifestyles putting lives at risk.

Studies have also suggested eating a meal at the wheel increases your risk of a devastating crash as much as talking on a phone with one in 50 narrowly avoiding a crash in the past year, having had to brake or swerve to avoid a hazard because they were distracted by food or drink.

Ms Townsend added: “Driving is the most complicated and risky thing most of us do on a regular basis, so it is vital we give it our full and undivided attention; we can’t afford to treat our cars as an extension of our kitchen or bathroom.”

Have you ever eaten while being behind the wheel? Do you think more needs to be done to prevent motorists from snacking and driving?

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