Study: Eating and drinking doubles crash risk
A British study commissioned by an insurance company has determined that noshing behind the wheel doubles the likelihood that a driver will get into an accident. Brunel University researchers put subjects through the paces using driving simulators to arrive at the conclusion.
First, they took virtual rides through an urban route without eating or drinking anything. After that, they repeated the task while sucking down bagged snacks and bottled water. Reseachers found that even though the drivers compensated by slowing down, they still couldn't react quickly enough to avoid colliding with the simulation's virtual pedestrians. In fact, 90% of the crashes recorded occured during the act of eating or drinking.
Dr. Mark Young, the lead researcher, says that the circumstances surrounding eating and drinking while driving make those activities more dangerous than other "menial in-car tasks."
We understand the good doctor's reasoning and generally agree with what he has to say, but we'd like to know if his list of "menial in-car tasks" includes "finding a song three menus deep on an iPod," because while we're not university researchers, we're pretty sure that's way more distracting than reaching into a bag of M&Ms.
Finally, we'd be interested in using the research sims to recreate a typical morning interstate commute sans coffee. We're guessing that the elimination of that particular piping-hot, crotch-threatening caffeinated beverage from the cupholder could result in pileups reminiscent of the ones in the most dramatic CHiPs episodes.
Photo courtesy of Seriouswheels.com
[Source: 4Car]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Richard Warren 6:23PM (8/24/2006)
Duh!
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iQuack 6:33PM (8/24/2006)
Gee, I'm glad they studied this. Wouldn't have believed it without costly, scientific research.
ANY distractions while driving are dangerous and that should be obvious to all but the smallest-brained morons.
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WillDaThrill 6:45PM (8/24/2006)
Damn, I could use the extra cash! Maybe I should research how cell phones or picking your nose can distract drivers. Man I'm gonna score some mean cash with that one.
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Mo 7:13PM (8/24/2006)
No, not worse than talking on the phone...
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tomp 7:39PM (8/24/2006)
This is the reason why European car makers never put cupholders in their cars until 'persuaded' to do it by American consumers....
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DPC car videos 8:00PM (8/24/2006)
I hope they tip the resturant.
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Alvin B 8:11PM (8/24/2006)
Were the subjects in the test allowed to complete their meals safely at their own pace, or were they told "You must eat constantly while driving" or "You must finish your meal by the end of the route"?
I, for one, eat while driving sometimes. However, I always make sure to pick food items that don't fall apart while eating (chicken strips instead of burgers, for example). Also, the food gets put down in complicated traffic situations - approaching lights, busy freeways, etc. That includes most of what they probably tested in the "urban" driving environment. I grab bites when the road is clear, when I'm sitting at a stop light, etc. Still eating while driving, but it's not quite scarfing a burger while merging lanes either.
Of course, when I was young and stupid (10 to 12 years ago), I used to eat rice while driving (worked at Taco Bell and loved the mexican rice). That was difficult! No accidents, but I'm not gonna try something that complicated again.
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Tio 10:22PM (8/24/2006)
lol...A lady turned her car over near my home because she was eating a taco!
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The Git 6:28PM (8/25/2006)
There's a big difference between eating say a fastfood meal vs a candybar, the latter being inherantly easy to pick up and put down and consume only when road and traffic conditions make it safe to have one hand not dedicated to driving. Same goes for drinking a cup of coffee or drinking water. Only a tool tries to drink or eat and drive in heavy traffic or when frequent manouvering is required. Dolts steering with their knees while stuffing their fat faces with a Big Mac and Fries; they're the ones who ruin it for everyone else.
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