Distracted driving has become a hot topic as of late both in Westminster and throughout the rest of the U.S. Yet a bulk of the effort directed at raising awareness of it has been dedicated to stopping people from texting while driving. While those who use their phones while driving certainly can pose a risk to you and others on the road, texting is not the only distracting activity drivers engage. Even something as seemingly simple as eating behind the wheel can increase the chances of one causing an accident. Many of those who come to us here at Ciancio Ciancio Brown PC are shocked to learn just how prevalent this actually is.
Indeed, information compiled by ExxonMobil shows that as many as 70 percent of drivers eat behind the wheel (83 percent admit to drinking a beverage while driving). The reason so many do this (and conversely, why so few view it as a distraction) is that eating seems to most to be such a natural action that it requires little thought. Yet according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the added attention required to eat while driving (even it if it believed to be minuscule) increase the chances of one who engages in it of being involved in an accident by almost 80 percent.
How can you prove that the person who caused your accident was eating behind the wheel when the collision occurred? The most obvious sign would be spills on their clothing or inside their vehicles. Other indicators may include discarded food wrappers, open containers or empty drink cups on a vehicle’s seats or floors. To learn more about spotting the signs of distracted driving, please continue to explore our site.