Driving home dangers of dashboard dining

MORE than a quarter of us are hooked on dashboard dining and putting our lives at risk when driving.

Eating and drinking while driving is not illegal but drivers can be charged with careless driving if police believe they are not in control of their vehicle.

Evidence is emerging to suggest eating behind the wheel poses an ever greater risk than using a mobile phone with six per cent of fatal road accidents linked to dashboard dining.

Carmarthenshire Council road safety unit supported by Carmarthenshire Community Safety Partnership’s Road Safety Action Committee have launched a county wide campaign tackling the growing concerns of the numbers of drivers who eat while driving.

Graffiti style cards are hitting home with graphic, pungent and thought provoking road safety messages with the graphics being repeated on the backs of buses and on A-board trailers that have been touring the county’s municipal car parks.

The cards have been distributed to colleges to get the messages out to as many drivers as possible.

The monthly differently themed road safety cards are the brainchild county road safety manager Keith Griffiths which previously have tackled bald tyres, drink and drug driving, speeding and texting behind the wheel.

He said : “The danger of dashboard dining is becoming more a part of our daily lives. Research in America has linked six per cent of fatal accidents to eating behind the wheel. A recent UK survey indicated 28per cent of drivers eat food while travelling in a vehicle at least once a week.

“It is not just the obvious hamburger and coffee snack that poses a danger but evening nibbling chocolate. The drivers’ instinctive reaction is to brush clean stains and crumbs which distracts them from the road.

“UK research has shown when sipping a drink, responses were up to 22 per cent slower and drivers were 18per cent more likely to experience poor lane control.

“By comparison, studies undertaken by the Transport Research Laboratory found that motorists who used mobile phones to send text messages were 37.4 per cent slower to react while alcohol at the legal limit slowed reaction times by 12.5 per cent.

“A hands free mobile phone conversation slowed reaction times by 26.5 per cent.”

The graffiti cards explain the risks of swigging soft drinks, eating fries, chicken, hamburgers and other foods that can transfers grease to the steering wheel causing more complications.

“Sweets. crisps, biscuits, wraps, pies and pasties and even ice cream can prove impossible to eat safely while driving,” the cards explain.

CAPTION: DINE DASH AND CRASH: The graffiti cars graphically illustrate the hazards of dashboard dining. The messages will be rolled out on bus advertising and mobile A-Frame’s touring Carmarthenshire car parks to get the message over to drivers.