The dangers inherent with eating while driving

You likely assume that all motorists on Charlotte’s roads take as much care as you do in avoiding accidents. This why distracted driving may seem so maddening to you. While past posts detail the dangers that such activity poses, you may think those risks to obvious (thus requiring no prior knowledge or explanation). 

Yet like many of our past clients here at the Law Office of W. Daniel Grist, PLLC, you may limit distracted driving activity to using a cell phone behind the wheel. There is another equally distracted activity that can be just as dangerous (and even more prevalent): eating while driving. 

Examining common types of distractions

The idea of eating while driving being a distraction may seem odd to you (given that it seems to most to be such a natural action). Yet consider the common types of driving distractions (as recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention): 

• Cognitive: Distractions requiring one’s attention 
• Manual: Distractions requiring the use of one’s hands 
• Visual: Distractions requiring one’s vision 

If you review the actions that go into eating while driving, you quickly notice that it prompts each of the aforementioned types of distractions. A driver must use their hands to grasp their food (requiring that they release the steering wheel), and they need to turn their attention and their gaze away from the road to avoid spilling on their clothes or their vehicle’s upholstery. 

The telltale signs of a “dining driver”

It is those very spills that may indicate to you whether the driver that hit you was eating in their vehicle when your accident occurred. Opened drink containers and food wrappers may also serve as evidence of such activity. 

You can discover more information about the different types of distracted driving by continuing to browse through our site.