Stains on the seats are the last to worry about!

In our hustle and go world lunch at the wheel is becoming a more efficient use of time, however, the consequences could be deadly. An insurance.com article has listed the most dangerous foods to eat while driving. We at Harmony find this to be a bit redundant due to the common sense factor, but we will entertain you this week with the list that was released. To take it further, a local radio station we frequent, asked its listeners to add to the list of silly driver delicacies so we have included those responses too.

First let's get to the seriousness of this issue. Driver distraction is listed as the #1 cause of collisions on today's highways. As we have mentioned before cell phones top the list closely followed by other media sources, applying cosmetics and reading. Eating while driving is about midstream but poses just as serious a risk. According to NHTSA, distraction was most likely to be involved in rear-end collisions in which the lead vehicle was stopped and in single-vehicle crashes. What makes distractions like eating such a problem is that they combine with unexpected situations – like a sharp curve or another driver's sudden stop – to cause a collision. In a 2001 survey of 1,000 drivers for Exxon, more than 70 percent of drivers say they eat while driving, up from 58 percent in 1995. Eighty-three percent say they drink coffee, juice, or soda while driving and a few even say they'd love a microwave in their car.

So, just what are these drivers eating that is sooooo good they can't wait to park and eat or get back to the office or home to consume it? Well, insurance.com list these foods as dangerous to eat while driving.

The top 10 food offenders in a car are:

1. Coffee – Even in cups with travel lids, somehow the liquid finds its way out of the opening each time you hit a bump.
2. Hot soup – Many people drink it like coffee and run the same risks.
3. Tacos – Any food that can disassemble itself will leave your car looking like a salad bar.
4. Chili Dogs – The potential for drips and slops down the front of clothing is significant.
5. Hamburgers – From the grease of the burger to ketchup and mustard, it could all end up on your hands, your clothes, and the steering wheel.
6. Barbecued food – Ditto. The sauce may be great, but if you have to lick your fingers, the sauce will end up on whatever you touch – and that wheel will be tough to grip.
7. Fried chicken – Another food that leaves you with greasy hands, which means constantly wiping them on something, even if it's your shirt.
8. Jelly donuts – Have you eaten a jelly donut without some of the center oozing out? It's simply not possible.
9. Soft drinks – Not only are they subject to spills, but also the carbonated kind can fizz as you're drinking if you make sudden movements, and most of us remember cola fizz in the nose from childhood. It isn't any more pleasant now.
10. Chocolate – Like greasy foods, chocolate coats the fingers as it melts, leaving its mark anywhere you touch. As you try to clean it off the steering wheel you're likely to end up swerving.

The listeners of the radio show added these items:

1. Ribs
2. Chinese food (w/chopsticks)
3. Salad
4. Ice cream in a bowl
5. Cereal in a bowl
6. Cotton candy
7. Drinks in a large cup
8. Blowing bubbles w/ gum
9. Watermelon
10.Jaw breakers (choking hazard)

That's just ridiculous stuff! but these acts have been witnessed by other drivers and we're sure you have seen this too.

How do insurance companies feel about this? Insurance companies don't track specific information on eating and driving, because it's too difficult to break it down. But every company knows it's a problem. Drivers who are cited for this as a cause for a collision, can suffer an increase of 25% or more in their insurance rate.

So now you know what foods to avoid while driving, wait! you should avoid eating while driving period! Any reasonable person knows that it is just not wise to dine n drive. Harmony again brings you the reality of driving on today's roads and reminds you that these types of drivers are out there sharing the roads with you. Please, if you must stop to eat en route, find a place to park or a picnic table at a park, your insurance provider will appreciate you for it.

Thanks for reading and keep the special sauce and pickles off the steering wheel.