Is It Illegal to Eat While Driving in Texas?
There is nothing better than a Laredo Taco Company menu item, especially in the morning. After taking a few minutes out of the morning commute to stop by your favorite Stripes store, you might end up running behind and have to eat your burrito, or whatever, while driving..
Whenever I do that, a little voice starts talking to me. Its like the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other. The devil says: "Go ahead and eat while you drive. What could go wrong"? The Angel on the other shoulder starts babbling about driving tickets and stains on my shirt.
So is it illegal to eat and drive in Texas? No. Driving and eating is not illegal in Texas. However, one in five accidents in Texas are caused by distracted driving. The definition of distracted driving is what happens when someone in front of you has to stop suddenly for that stoplight on Bryant Boulevard and Jackson and you're too busy trying to eat your Laredo Taco Company breakfast to notice in time. Ok, that's not really the definition, but it is a good example.
According to the TxDot website, there are three parts to distracted driving--cognitive, visual and manual. Cognitive is when your mind is wandering and you're not even thinking about driving anymore. A really good breakfast taco will do that. Believe me, great food can take you places mentally.
Visual is when you're not looking at the road anymore. Maybe, you're looking for that extra packet of mild sauce or a napkin to wipe up that humungous stain that now sits in the middle of your shirt, after the near rear-ending you had earlier.
Manual distractions occur when you are not driving the vehicle with your hands on the wheel. Like when you're trying to hold a breakfast taco and open a packet of hot sauce at the same time.
The experts say you are 23 times more likely to have an accident when having all three main types of distracted driving simultaneously. Eating while driving is every bit as distracting as texting and driving. Maybe, some sort of regulation should be a topic for discussion. It has been 20 years since Texas had a day with no auto fatalities. Taking the risk of trying to eat and drive is not worth it.
Besides, if you have an accident, you won't have much of an appetite for that delicious breakfast burrito. Your insurance rates may even go up so much you won't be able to afford breakfast anymore. Worse yet, you might not survive.
11 Questions The Stranger Things Finale Needs To Answer
LOOK: Here are the 25 best places to live in Texas