Eating and Driving is Distracting

Eating and driving is just as distracting (if not more distracting) than talking on your cell phone or trying to keep small children under control in the back seat of your car. My boyfriend is somewhat of an exception to this rule though.

My boyfriend LOVES stopping at fast food places and using the drive thru. In fact, he is adamant when it comes to actually having to go into a fast food establishment because he simply prefers the comfort of his own car where he can listen to the radio and take in the scenery while he drives around. For me, however, I typically do NOT like eating in my car and never used to do it before I met him. I can't stand the smell of fast food permeating throughout my usually spotless vehicle. I also am typically horrible when it comes to using a drive-through window at fast food place because for starters, I never used to go to fast food restaurants and secondly; I usually am indecisive and need to take my time when thinking about what it is I would like to order.

In most cases, when it comes to fast food restaurants, my boyfriend will go through the drive-thru window, order his food; and then almost as soon as he has pulled away from the drive-thru window, he will start eating it. Watching him go through the process of eating while driving is almost fascinating. Deftly, he sticks his straw into his soft drink, and while driving, he'll take one hand and reach into the bag, unwrap his burger and start eating it with one hand. What's more impressive is that he drives a manual shift car. So, in between bites, he'll rest his burger and/or drink and quickly shift gears, continuing to drive. I still don't know how he does it. Quite frankly, at first it made me nervous; but now that I'm used to it, it doesn't really phase me.

Eating while driving is incredibly dangerous. Because eating almost always requires the use of at least one of your hands, that is one less hand that is able to grip the wheel of your car and maneuver your car in the event that you need to perform an evasive movement to avoid collision with another vehicle or object. Personally, I like to be able to look at what I am eating, and I almost always have to use two hands to eat. Therefore, if I am driving somewhere and need to get something to eat, I will almost always go into the restaurant and eat what I need to in the restaurant before I return to my car. The only thing that I will permit myself to do comfortably is sip on a drink while I am driving.

While my boyfriend may be an exception to the rule (although I am not sure by how much), it is always safer to put the food and beverages down and simply wait until you have reached a stopping point before you eat. You always want to be aware of what is going on around you when you are in your vehicle, and eating while you are driving certainly distracts you from this.