Eating while Driving: How about a crash with that coffee? ? Lender ...

Sure, you?re hungry. And you?ve got places to go. But dining while driving can lead to serious distractions ? and deadly crashes ? on the road.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration compares eating while driving to dialing a cell phone on the scale of driver distractions.

That?s serious business, when 8 out of 10 of all car crashes are linked to some kind of distraction.?Coffee leads to the most food-related woes. But hot soup, chili dogs and tacos can also be troublesome.

Perhaps the best solution is this: Spend your meal times somewhere away from the steering wheel. But if you can?t, here are some tips to help you drive safely while also satisfying your hunger.

Did you know?

• Driver distractions such as eating contribute to 80 percent of all car crashes and 65 percent of near misses.
• Half of drivers admitted to eating or drinking behind the wheel in a 2002 Gallup poll commissioned by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. However, only 31 percent of them felt such behaviors made their driving more dangerous.
• Although the NHTSA poll suggested only half of drivers eat on the road, a separate survey by Exxon claimed the number was considerably higher. That study ? based on the responses of 1,000 drivers ? found that 70 percent of drivers munched behind the wheel. An estimated 83 percent drink beverages.
• Eating while driving is about as dangerous as manually dialing a cell phone, but less distracting than reading or changing CDs.

How to stay safe:

Plan ahead: If you?re going to be on the road during meals, schedule some time to stop for food. You?ll be able to enjoy your meal, avoid potential drips on your clothes and return to the road more rested because of that 15- to 20-minute break from driving.

Avoid hot drinks: Drinking coffee while driving is a disaster waiting to happen. Coffee ranks as one of the worst food-related driving distractions because of the potential for spills. Collision Guard?s advice is to wait until you get to work for that cup of pick-me-up.

Think snacks: Instead of wrapping your lips around a potentially messing burger during an extended road trip, pack some easy-to-eat snacks such as granola bars, pretzels or carrot sticks. These will keep your tummy satisfied without the distractions that go along with messier foods such as jelly doughnuts or chili dogs.

Fun facts:

The TOP 10 foods to avoid while driving are these, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute:

1.?Coffee. Even with a travel lid, hot coffee can find its way out of the opening when you hit a bump. Then, all of a sudden, you?ve become a seriously distracted driver.

2. Hot soup. Many people drink it like coffee and run the same risks.

3.?Tacos. Any food that can disassemble itself will leave your car looking like a salad bar and you looking away from the road.

4.?Chili dogs. Huge potential for drips and slops down the front of your clothes. That could affect your appearance and your safe driving.

5.?Hamburgers. From the grease to the toppings, it could end up on your hands and the steering wheel.

6.?Ribs and wings. What?s more distracting than licking your fingers?

7.?Fried chicken. More greasy hands. You?ve got to wipe them off while you?re driving.

8.?Jelly doughnuts. It?s not possible to eat one without watching the center ooze out.

9.?Soda. Carbonation. Fizz in the nose. Lids that leak. Disaster.

10.?Chocolate. Try to clean melted chocolate off the steering wheel without swerving.

Just for fun:

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