A recent survey has found that a third of drivers often eat food while driving and some admit that doing this has nearly caused them to crash.
The survey, organised by the road safety charity Brake and insurance company Direct Line, questioned 1,000 drivers in Britain. Just over a quarter of the respondents (27 per cent) said they have unwrapped and eaten food while driving, while a third (33 per cent) said they have eaten food someone else unwrapped for them.
Drivers aged 25 to 34 were found to be the most likely to eat while driving, as 55 per cent in this age group admitted to doing so. Just under a third in this age group said they eat while driving at least once a week.
Eating food while driving is not technically considered an illegal act in Britain. But it can be lead to prosecution if the driver is deemed to be distracted while doing so.
The police could charge you for careless or even dangerous driving if they see you eating behind the wheel and observe that you’re not in proper control of the vehicle.
In the recent survey, one in ten of drivers admitted they had been involved in a near-miss because they were distracted by eating food. For this survey, a near-miss is classed as any moment when sudden braking or swerving occurred to avoid a hazard.
Past research has found that eating and drinking while behind the wheel slows down reaction times by up to 44 per cent, meaning drivers are much slower reacting to hazards on the road.