Eating at the wheel increases accident risk shock

In the main scientific research is pretty mundane, nibbling at the borders and increasing the sum of human knowledge by an tiny amount. Once in a blue moon a piece of research comes along that turns our understanding upside down. This is most definitely not one of them...New research shows that drivers are nearly twice as likely to be taken by surprise if a pedestrian walks in front of their car when they are snacking at the wheel.

In what is described as the first study of its kind, drivers used Brunel University's driving simulator while enjoying a snack. In simulated emergencies, they crashed 17 times compared to nine when no food or drink was being consumed. The researchers said the results show that while drivers may appear able to cope while eating during normal driving, problems come when they are confronted with a sudden increase in the demand for their attention.

"The evidence suggests that the physical demands of eating and drinking while driving can increase the risk of a crash,'' say the researchers in their report, entitled 'Crash dieting: The effects of eating and drinking on driving performance... Our results suggest that eating and drinking at the wheel is best confined to the service area.''

Err surely anything that takes your concentration off the road will result in a higher risk of accident. On the other hand I would happily pack Jeremy Clarkson a nice big tiffin box for his next excursion...