Having breakfast as you drive to work can appear to make a lot of sense. It may seem like an efficient use of your time.
However, it’s a routine that is fraught with danger. Here are some of the reasons why.
The danger of scalding
Drivers have suffered severe scalding after the contents of their coffee cup fell onto them. To-go cups in particular can have poorly fitting lids. Spilling a hot cup of coffee on yourself could also cause you to lose control of your vehicle. What’s more, if you have a hot drink in your hand, you will be slower to react to any danger that occurs on the road. Managing drinking a cup of coffee safely while keeping your hands on the steering wheel can cause you to lose control of the vehicle.
Tying up your body and your thoughts
If you get something more than a cup of coffee on your way to work, like a breakfast sandwich, you are going to need one or two hands to unwrap and eat it. This takes time, and you’ll have covered a considerable distance by the time you finish. Not only would you have been less physically able to control your vehicle the whole time, but you’ll have been less cognizant of what was happening around you. You’ll have also had to remove your eyes from the road to be able to eat, for moments at least.
As convenient as eating breakfast in the car may be, it’s a dangerous routine to get into. Staying focused gives you a better chance of avoiding getting injured by less careful drivers. Even if you were eating or drinking in the car, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re primarily responsible for a crash. Having legal guidance can be beneficial to protecting your right to compensation.
