Unsafe at Any Speed: Texting While Driving.... Eating While Driving
Texting while driving is three times more dangerous than than drinking and driving, according to a new study. How can you protect yourself? And what are the 10 most dangerous foods to eat while driving?
If you text while driving, you're 23 times more likely to crash or get into a near-wreck, according to the first-ever study of distracted drivers. That means texting is three times more dangerous than driving at the legal drunk driving limit, which increases your risk of an accident by about 7 times.
Texting is especially risky because drivers take their eyes off the road for five seconds or more - more than the amount of time it takes to drive the length of a football field.
Meanwhile, researchers found that the simple act of dialing a cell phone increases the risk of collisions about six times.
What can you do to protect yourself?
The answer is simple and may not be what you're looking for, according to Tom Dingus, director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute that conducted the research. "You should never (text and drive)," he said The New York Times. "It should be illegal."
Are hands-free devices safer?
The new study concludes that hands-free cell phones are not substantially safer because answering and dialing always involve taking your eyes off the road. Voice activated systems are less risky if they are designed well enough so drivers do not have to take their eyes off the road often or for long periods.
Fourteen states ban texting while driving, including Alaska, California and New Jersey.
What are the 10 most dangerous foods to eat while driving?
Eating while driving is another dangerous activity, according to Virginia Tech researchers.
According to Exxon, around 70 percent of us eat while driving and 80 percent of us drink beverages.
Insurance.com has just published a new list of the top 10 foods to avoid while driving:
- Coffee. Even with a travel lid, hot coffee can find its way out of the opening when you hit a bump.
- Hot soup. Many people drink it like coffee and run the same risks.
- Tacos. Any food that can disassemble itself will leave your car looking like a salad bar.
- Chili dogs. Huge potential for drips and slops down the front of clothing.
- Hamburgers. From the grease to the toppings, it could end up on your hands and the steering wheel.
- Ribs and wings. What's more distracting than licking your fingers?
- Fried chicken. More greasy hands. You've got to wipe them off while you're driving.
- Jelly donuts. It's not possible to eat one without watching the center ooze out.
- Soda. Carbonation. Fizz in the nose. Lids that leak. Disaster.
- Chocolate. Try to clean melted chocolate off the steering wheel without swerving.
