Eating behind the wheel: A common type of risky behavior

 Posted on January 29, 2019 in Uncategorized

When a driver is doing anything other than keeping his or her eyes on the road, it is distracted driving. When you think about distracted driving, you may think about someone texting or reading an email, but those are not the only things that can take a driver's attention. One of the most common and most dangerous types of distracted driving in Texas does not involve using a phone at all.

Eating while driving may not seem dangerous. In fact, most people have probably gone through a drive-thru to grab coffee and a pastry before work or picked up a burger to eat on the way home. Eating on-the-go is part of the American culture, yet the convenience may not be worth the risk. Eating while driving is a type of distracted driving, and it is quite dangerous.

Understanding the dangers

Texting while driving is dangerous because it can take a person's eyes off the road, cause his or her attention to wander, and make a person remove one or both hands from the wheel. However, consider the following things about distracted driving and why it can be dangerous as well:

• Eating can cause visual distraction because a driver may look away from the road to grab the bag of food, unwrap a sandwich and more.
• If a person is eating and driving, at least one hand is off the wheel, which is manual distraction.
• When a person is eating while behind the wheel, his or her mind is not completely on the task of safely driving. This is cognitive distraction.

As you can see, eating while driving can be just as dangerous as texting while driving, especially when there are multiple types of distraction happening at once. A person is responsible for his or her actions that cause harm to others, even if it is something as simple as eating a snack while driving.

Are you a victim of distracted driving?

If you are a victim of the dangerous and reckless actions of another person, you have the right to pursue financial compensation. Distraction in all forms is dangerous, and victims have grounds to hold liable parties accountable through a civil claim.

Eating while driving may not seem that dangerous, but it can result in dangerous consequences. Victims do not have to suffer in silence or walk through the aftermath of their accident by themselves, but they can explore options for legal recourse.