Posted on 11/12/2013 7:48:38 AM PST by BenLurkin
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) Experts say eating while driving can increase a motorists chances of a car accident by 80 percent.
Ryan Harrison, an editor in Burbank, said long hours at work means more time in his car.
Id rather just eat on the way home, so Im killing two birds with one stone, he said. I would make scrambled eggs before I go to work and then Id eat them on the way to work, and Id also eat yogurt. Its definitely convenience.
With so little time and so much traffic, Los Angeles freeways have turned Harrisons car into a personal dining room.
There is so much traffic here that you have to drive so slowly and there are so many stop lights, he said. I need to eat while Im driving just to save time.
Officer Juan Galvan of the California Highway Patrol office in Glendale said that while Harrisons behavior isnt illegal, it is unsafe.
Usually when people take a bite and if they spill, whats your first reaction? Your first reaction is to let go of the steering wheel or drop whatever it is youre doing because you want to clean up the mess you possibly caused, Galvan said.
Law enforcement officials say much like texting and driving, eating also falls under the category of distracted driving.
Asked if the CHP has seen an increase in drivers who eat, Galvan said, We did have a [Distracted Driving Awareness Month] in April. Over 10,000 enforcement contacts were made and over 240 citations were issued for an unsafe speed related to distracted driving. So, quite possibly, there could have been a good majority that were eating.
The officer added, We dont have a specific section, but for somebody that is eating while driving, now we can go with the unsafe speed section. What is the safe speed for you to eat and drive? The safe speed is zero.
Harrison said theres more to the distracted driving debate than just taking a bite behind the wheel.
If they make it so you cant eat and drive, they should take away being able to put on make-up. Im not going to be eating my hamburger if Im trying to get across six lanes of traffic and avoid pedestrians and stuff, he said.
Distracted drivers can be cited anywhere from $100 to $500, or even more.
It’s funny... that reminds me how Canadian Pacific diesel locomotive cabs come equipped with a hotplate for putting on a teapot. U.S. locomotives have no such thing.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.