Trying to do anything else, especially eating, while driving a vehicle is not a display of safe driving skills, but some things you could choose to chow down on are worse ideas than others. If you absolutely, positively must eat something and cannot spare a minute or two to pull over, choose something which only requires one hand and never spills, drips, smears or stains. In the meantime, here is a list of the 9 worst foods to eat while driving, and what makes them poor choices for a meal behind the wheel.

  • Coffee or hot chocolate – Hot liquids can spill and cause you to swerve.
  • Cream or jelly filled donuts and snacks – The filling has a tendency to drip and splatter, creating a sticky mess that you have to deal with while driving.
  • Chocolate – Chocolate sticks to your hands and smears easily, increasing the risk of a collision while driving.
  • Chicken, fried or BBQ – Chicken has bones and is difficult to eat with one hand. Additionally, the greasiness of chicken makes your fingers and the steering wheel slippery. Even chicken strips or nuggets are a bad idea, but those are not as dangerous as eating the real thing.
  • Any BBQ or marinated foods – Any foods that have been coated with a sweet or tangy sauce probably leaves residue on your fingers that could lead to inattention behind the wheel. If you absolutely must eat a BBQ rib right away, pull over to consume it.
  • Tacos – Tacos have many different ingredients and have a tendency to drop pieces or juices while you eat. Foods that have the potential for large messes have no business being eaten while driving a motor vehicle.
  • Soup or chili – Drinking hot soups out of cup is the same as drinking chocolate or hot chocolate, but trying to eat any semi-liquid that requires the use of a fork or spoon is always a bad idea. You should have both hands on the wheel, and a cup of chili means that at least of them, probably both, is engaged in another task.
  • Salad – Salads, like tacos, have a high tendency to drop and drip. Rather than fight the temptation of cleaning up the stray bits of lettuce that fell to the floorboard, the best thing is to wait until you are safely parked before enjoying your greens. Like chili, eating a salad usually requires both hands as well as your vision, and that makes you a dangerous person to share the road with.
  • Hamburgers- Hamburgers require at least one hand, and still have the potential to leave a dripping mess. And forget about trying to eat anything larger than a fast food single, because the big burgers will take both hands and that means your car is on autopilot, a facet cars do not yet have.
  • Hotdogs – Hotdogs and apple pie may be the Great American Foods, but neither one should be eaten while you are in control of a vehicle. Part of the romance and allure of these American favorites is that fact that they do have the potential to leave an apple smear or mustard stain, and those are problems you do not need to face while driving.

Eating on the go typically means that you’re eating less healthy because it’s typically fast food that’s being consumed.  What’s worse, eating is distracting and can lead to getting into an accident with one or more other cars.  One accident and you won’t be able to get the best car insurance quotes.  Stay safe on the roads; don’t eat while driving and focus on the road.


photo by: indigoprime

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