Eating behind the wheel is a risk that no one should take

You feel hungry, so you swing through a drive-thru and pick up some McDonalds. You unwrap your burger and decide to eat it on the way to your work meeting. As you’re enjoying your meal, you drip ketchup on yourself. This makes you react, trying to clean it up, but that distracts you. Not much later, you narrowly avoid a collision.

This is just an example scenario of why it’s dangerous to eat behind the wheel of your vehicle. When you’re driving, you need to be completely focused on the road. Despite that, there are many people who decide to eat while they drive, which creates a hazard for themselves and others.

Among those who do this are commercial vehicle drivers. Should they? Probably not, but many feel that they have to meet strict deadlines and rush from one job to another. Eating while driving saves time, so that seems like a good trade, right?

Unfortunately, taking your hands off the wheel, focusing on your food and even blocking your vision with a cup or wrapper can create problems while you drive. Getting distracted for just a few seconds is enough to result in a crash. A crash with a commercial vehicle is much more likely to result in serious injuries or deaths.

What can truck drivers do to avoid collisions from eating and driving?

The best thing to do is to pull over and eat. Take the time to sit down and eat, so you can focus on your food and not be putting others at risk. Doing this could help prevent a serious crash and the serious injuries or deaths that could result.