What should you never eat or drink while driving?

Of course, it would probably not be a good idea to eat or drink anything while driving because it will most likely distract you from driving. However, many people here in Chicago and elsewhere do eat and/or drink while they drive.

Numerous accidents happen because a driver was eating or drinking instead of paying attention to the road. While any food or drink could increase the potential for a crash, some items tend to be more potentially troublesome than others are.

You may want to avoid these foods and drinks

Some food items and drinks require a lot more attention than you should give them while behind the wheel. Below are some of the foods and drinks to avoid, along with how they create a dangerous distraction:

• Soft drinks can spill, spray when you open them and end up rolling around your car. When you go to clean up the mess or search for your drink, you could become dangerously distracted.
• You may wonder why chocolate would make the list until you remember that it can be quite messy, especially on a hot day. It can get all over you and/or your vehicle, and the temptation to clean it up takes your attention off the road.
• If you happen to spill your coffee as you go down the road, you will end up with stains and burns. Moreover, if you need to add sugar and/or cream, your attention will be on making those additions to your cup rather than on driving.
• You would probably never consider eating hot soup while you drive, but some people do. Spills, burns and the potential to need two hands all make it an ill-advised mobile meal.
• Fried chicken is a comfort food for many people, but it is quite messy to eat, especially while driving.
• Those delicious powdered and jelly-filled donuts fall into the same messy food category.
• Tacos may be good for lunch and dinner but not in your car. Cheese, lettuce and meat can fall out, and a crunchy taco shell could fall apart in your hand.
• Chili is another one of the good but potentially messy foods that you may want to avoid while driving. Whether you eat it in a bowl, on a hot dog or some other way, it’s best eaten at home, work or in a restaurant.
• You may wonder why anyone would eat foods with barbecue sauce while driving, but they do. The drip factor and mess are enough to cause a distraction.
• Many people can’t resist a good, juicy burger with all the fixings, but they should certainly try if they are attempting to eat it while driving. Things tend to fall out, and some are so tender and juicy they fall apart, and the mess can definitely cause a distraction.

The common theme regarding the above foods is the potential for a mess that would take a driver’s attention away from the road, hands off the wheel and eyes away from his or her surroundings. It’s not hard to see how they could cause enough of a distraction to simply eat or drink them, but when you add mishaps into the mix, things get even worse.

If you encounter a driver who decided it would be a good idea to eat one or more of the above foods while driving, you may end up suffering serious injuries. Under Illinois law, you could pursue compensation for the financial and other damages caused by the other driver’s negligence or recklessness.