Eating, drinking, driving and road accident claims

If you want to avoid being the subject of a potentially costly road accident claim, it might be best to avoid eating and drinking behind the wheel. That's because research carried out late in 2006 revealed that those who indulge in a bit of scoff dramatically increase their chances of having a car crash by as much as double.

We're not talking full-on roast dinners and five-course feasts here, although that would surely increase the road accident likelihood even more, because even gobbling a chocolate bar or sipping a bottle of water is enough to lose concentration and cause a smash.

In fact, eating and drinking was found to be just as dangerous as talking on a hand-held mobile phone, which has now been made a criminal offence in the UK.

The study was carried out by experts at Brunel University in London and consisted of a series of participants being asked to drive an urban route, at one point of which a pedestrian stepped into the road. On the first drive the subjects drove without eating or drinking, whilst on the second they gobbled sweets and knocked back water from a bottle.

The results of this research were fairly conclusive and the number of car crashes doubled on the second drive with nine out of ten participants colliding with the pedestrian. If this was real life then serious personal injuries and a road accident claim for compensation would surely be the result of such an incident.

A member of the research team that carried out the eye-opening study told reporters, "The results of our experiment strongly indicate that eating or drinking while driving increases the risk of a crash.

"Drivers may not perceive the risk to be any higher than other menial in-car tasks, but the impaired reactions combined with the increased workload suggest drivers should exert caution."

The road accident claim experts hit the streets
In light of these findings, YouClaim, the road accident claim experts, sent their roving reporter out onto the streets to find out how many people really do risk causing personal injury to themselves and others by eating and drinking whilst driving.

The results of what they discovered were truly shocking and the compensation claim company's man found that more than 70% of people interviewed admitted to regularly munching whilst at the wheel.

One of those approached by YouClaim said, "I've never really thought about it but I guess I quite often have a chocolate bar or a packet of crisps whilst I'm driving. I suppose I shouldn't then if it really is that dangerous."

"I once ate a curry when I was crawling along in a traffic jam"
Another admitted to having eaten more than just crisps and chocolate and stunned the personal injury claim firm's reporter by saying, "I once ate a curry when I was crawling along in a traffic jam. It was the full whack; chicken tikka masala, popadums, naan bread and even an onion bhaji.

"It made a bit of a mess and I got some right funny looks from other drivers. Looking back, it probably wasn't the best idea."

He's definitely right in acknowledging that it wasn't a good idea and he's lucky that he wasn't arrested or on the receiving end of a road accident claim after such outrageous antics.

For any other drivers out there that are tempted to gobble their dinner whilst behind the wheel of a car, a YouClaim spokesperson had this message, "Research has proven that eating, drinking and driving don't mix and you really are messing with people's lives if you insist on doing it.

"So, if you are in need of a bite to eat, make sure you pull over and park up somewhere safe before you unwrap that chocolate bar or unscrew that bottle. You know it makes sense."

YouClaim can help you make a road accident claim
If you've been injured in a car crash caused by someone eating or drinking behind the wheel, YouClaim could help you make a road accident claim for compensation. In fact, they can help you make a personal injury compensation claim for a whole range of other types of car accidents and won't charge you a single penny at any time.

They work on a no win, no fee basis at all times and you can be assured that 100% of any compensation that you win will be yours to keep. They also have a panel of experienced personal injury solicitors and an excellent success rate.

YouClaim have helped people from all over the UK to make road accident compensation claims and residents of London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Cardiff and a multitude of other places have made the right choice by contacting YouClaim.

Get in touch today
To contact them yourself, fill in the form to the right and you'll get a phone call back at a time that's convenient for you. You can also chat online to a personal injury claim expert from the comfort of your computer and they'll answer any questions you may have and can tell you more about how to win make a no win, no fee claim.

Alternatively, you can pick up the phone any time of the day or night and give YouClaim, the road accident claim experts, a call for free on 0800 10 757 95.