Eating and Car Accidents

Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyer discusses Eating and Car Accidents while Driving

Hunger pains can really get the best of you–especially when driving around on a growling stomach.  Tired of waiting and hearing your stomach nag, you give in to your hunger’s commands.  You pull up to the Burger King drive-thru on the next corner, order a Whopper with large fries and a Cherry Coke, and then head out to the road. The smell of your freshly packed meal permeates your car with its greasy goodness. You look down and rustle through the bag to find ketchup to dunk you fries in, because you are so anxious to eat your meal. Unfortunately, you don’t realize that your car is speeding through an intersection where your car should have stopped at a red light. The next thing you know, you hear the sound of crushing metal and breaking glass.  You have been in a car accident.

Philly.com notes that compared to undistracted drivers, the odds of a distracted driver’s getting into a crash or near-crash were 8.32 times higher when dialing a cellphone; 8 times higher when reaching for something other than a phone; 7.05 times higher when trying to grab the phone; 3.9 times higher when looking at something on the roadside; and 2.99 times higher when eating. Additionally, according to a recent study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on distracted driving, 31% of the 2,016 car accidents reviewed were caused by eating and drinking while driving.

In order to prevent the possibility of a tragic a car accident, think of ways you can take the edge off your hunger without losing focus on the road. For example, you can stock your car’s glove department with a tasty and healthy snack bar. The snack bar is small in size but big in subsiding hunger, leaving at least one hand completely free to put on the wheel. Due to its size, snack bars are also easy to consume in a short amount of time. Not only are you lowering your chances of getting into a car accident but you are also saving calories. If snack bars are not something you find tasty, you can still indulge in Burger King- but pull over, park in a parking lot and take ten minutes to eat your food. Another option might be to wait until you arrive at your destination.  It sure beats a long hospital stay.

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