While most people are aware of the serious danger posed by the use of cell phones when driving, there are fewer Bay Area residents that are aware of a potentially more serious distracted driving risk – eating while driving. Because of the sheer volume of fast-food drive-thru restaurants, the frequency of driving while eating or drinking may be even more common than cell phone use while driving.
A study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed that eighty percent of all motor vehicle accidents, including those involving cars, tractor-trailers and motorcycles and 65 percent of near misses are caused by drivers more focused on food and beverages than the road. A separate study conducted by ExxonMobil Corp confirmed that the practice of eating and driving behind the wheel is widely practiced by motorists with seventy percent of drivers admitting to driving while eating, and 83 percent conceding that they drink while driving.
This risk posed by distracted driving trucking accidents caused by eating while driving is particularly dangerous because eating and drinking while driving creates a distracted driving risk at all three levels of driver distraction: manual, visual and mental. When a truck driver is trying to hold a burger or drink, the driver must remove his or her hands from the steering wheel of the tractor-trailer. Drivers also avert their eyes from the road when unwrapping or wrapping food so that it can be eaten without sauces or condiments dripping into a driver’s lap. This is particularly dangerous when a hot beverage like coffee spills into a motorist’s lap or food spills making a mess. The driver’s eyes may leave the road when both the driver’s mind and hands may be involved in cleaning up a mess when food is dropped, or drinks tip over in a vehicle.
The NHTSA survey indicated the types of foods and beverages that create the greatest risk of causing a trucking accident or collisions involving other motor vehicles including:
- Hot Beverages and Liquids: When drivers proceed through the Starbucks drive-thru or consume other hot beverages or soups, these pose a particularly dangerous driving hazard because they can spill and cause severe burns. When a driver is severely burned by coffee spilling into the driver’s lap, the driver may be distracted while dealing with the pain from the scalding liquid. Even if the beverage does not tip over on the driver, the driver may be distracted because of a concern about staining the driver’s clothes of the interior of the vehicle.
- Messy Foods: Foods like tacos, sandwiches and pizza that may be messy and fall apart easy also may result in messes that must be cleaned up diverting a driver’s hands and eyes from driving.
- Drinks without Straws: When drinks lack straw, drivers may spill the drink onto their clothes and the interior of the vehicle. A sudden stop may also cause a motorist to choke on the drink.
- Greasy and Salty Foods: These types of foods leave the driver’s hands messy so that the driver may need to search the vehicle for napkins or something else to clean the residue off of one’s hands. Greasy foods may also make a driver’s hands slippery when trying to grip the steering wheel.
Truck drivers are particularly prone to eating and drinking while driving because they spend enormous amount of time on the road. The pressure to increase profits and unrealistic schedules imposed by commercial carriers may provide further motivation to remain behind the wheel while consuming a beverage, meal or snack.
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If your are injured in a San Francisco tractor-trailer collision, our experienced San Francisco trucking accident lawyers at Zimmerman Law may be able to help. If you or someone you love has been injured or a loved one has died in a San Francisco tractor-trailer accident, you should contact us as soon as possible because critical deadlines apply. We invite you to contact The Law Office of Ian Zimmerman for your free initial consultation. We are open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., speak Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese, and are available for weekend, evening, home and hospital meetings and visits. We also offer free initial consultations and work exclusively on a contingency fee basis so that you pay nothing if we don’t win your case.