We have all heard multiple times how dangerous distracted driving is – but is that only limited to cell phone use? NO. If you eat and drive, drink alcohol and drive or text and drive – the answer is yes, you are contributing to the number of unsafe drivers on the road.
Distracted driving is any situation where your attention is not fully on the road ahead of you. The most common scenario we hear of is texting and driving – where one hand is off the wheel and actively participating in another task. Along with your hand being of no use to steering the vehicle, you are also looking away from the road and thinking of something else. In 2015, 3,477 people were killed and 391,000 injured by distracted drivers.
Drunk DrivingEating and Driving
These distracted driving fatality and injury numbers are staggeringly high, and it is unfathomable to think that even with this knowledge, we continue to do it. According to a Lytx study, in 2014 they discovered that eating while driving makes a driver 3.6 times more likely to be involved in a car accident. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that 65% of near-miss crashes are due to drivers who are eating or drinking while driving.
Although it might seem to make sense to take breakfast to-go to save time on the way to work, but the consequences of this can be deadly. Think about it- driving requires full attention and both hands on the wheel, this is impossible while eating or drinking while driving. Why risk an accident just to save five minutes in the kitchen?
What Can We do to Change These Statistics?
1. Do not drink and drive – do not drive with those who have been drinking
2. Whenever you or a friend is unsure if you’re are able to drive after one or two drinks, just be safe and call a cab
3. Save your meals for eating at home – do not try to drink your morning coffee and eat your oatmeal in your car
4. Don’t attempt to text you friend back while driving – any text can wait
5. Think before you act – it is better to be safe than sorry!