Eating While Driving Deadlier Than Texting Behind the Wheel, Study Shows
The University of Leeds recently published a study titled ‘Two Hands Better Than One’ that showed that eating while driving is more dangerous than using a phone while driving, or drinking while driving.
By using a driving simulator, the UK-based study found that driver reaction time increased by 44 percent while eating behing the wheel. While drinking from a bottle or can behind the wheel, reactions time increase 22 percent. A 37 percent increase in time was found for drivers texting and piloting their car. Surprisingly, a 0.08 blood alcohol level only increased reaction times by 12.5 percent.
Most of this may seem to be common sense, but distracted driving has become a major issue and studies are showing that it’s more than just texting and driving that has become deadly. Raising awareness that eating while driving is even more distracting than texting and driving sheds some light on an activity that some of us are probably guilty of doing behind the wheel on an almost daily basis.
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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Once again, spinning statistics to make a lie. Reaction time is not the only factor that influences driving ability. In the case of alcohol, for instance, your motor skills and judgement is affected. If you think that eating a cheeseburger is more dangerous than driving under the influence, then you should probably not be driving.