To ask for opinions on the safety of eating a cream cheese bagel while driving?

[MrsBertMacklin]

Where would it sit in the spectrum of multi tasking?

a)flipping radio stations
b)eating a chocolate bar
c)taking a phone call with no handsfree
d) eating a bowl of cereal

I'm saying between (b) and (c) and therefore not a good idea. The bagel would be prepared with toppings before getting into the car.

[Lurkedforever1]

Depends. Do you intend holding it in your lips whilst biting with teeth, or shoving it in whole so you can be keep both hands on the wheel? If you intend eating it properly, with a whole tub of cream cheese on the dashboard and dipping the bagel in prior to each bite, that's possibly dangerous as the bagel might not be evenly dipped if the road distracts you. I'm also not sure where you'd plug in a decent toaster so Yabu.
Seriously though it's no more dangerous putting food in your mouth than changing gears. Don't know about anyone else but I put food down between bites anyway, so it doesn't cause one handed driving. And I don't need to look at either food to pick it up, or the stereo to change stations/ tracks etc.

[wasonthelist]

Many cars (inc mine and it's 10 yrs old) allow you to change radio stations using controls on the steering wheel so no need to take eyes off the road at all.

[thenightsky]

Gearbox... manual or auto?

[AimlesslyPurposeful]

Am just starting to drive confidently (Haven't taken test yet) but wouldn't do anything other than drive whilst driving! But then I drove onto the wrong side of the road trying to turn the air con off.

However, would say eating a bagel would be ok as you could hold it and the wheel at the same time. I'd be more concerned that a bit of stodgy bagel might choke you than cause slowed reaction times if there was a hazard.

Like a PP I saw the article about a woman being stopped by the police for taking a drink of water whilst driving. I wonder why that is more dangerous than smoking? You'd have to fish the cigarette out of the packet, find a lighter, light the cigarette and put it out when you've finished. Surely all that requires you taking your eyes off the road. Plus there's the worry of the driver dropping the cigarette and having to retrieve it while driving. Seems far more dangerous than a sip of water.

[Shodan]

It was the high point of the holiday, really.

I'd quite like to have a surprise Malteser in my bag- I reckon you could actually count that as your good deed for that day.

[MrsBertMacklin]

Shodan, I'd have loved to have seen that
I opened Maltesers on the tube once. The packet burst, Maltesers went everywhere. The carriage was rammed, so fairly certain that some travellers found Maltesers in their hoods and bags later that day.

[Shodan]

Cut it in half. Then if your bagel-holding hand is urgently needed, you can hold it in your gob while doing the necessary.



DH decided to grab a snack to eat while marching to our departure gate for our recent flight. His food item of choice was sushi. With chopsticks. He dropped the lot on the travelator-and scrabbled around to pick up every last piece. I may have actually snorted with laughter-certainly everyone around us did...

[TattyDevine]

I eat whilst driving sometimes.

Not like a won ton soup with chopsticks, mind.

[ChristineDePisan]

My rule for eating while driving is that it has to be droppable. So a cream cheese bagel would be a Bad Idea but a muesli bar would be fine (if less delicious)

[laundryeverywhere]

I don't think you should eat while driving, but it's stupid to say you can't eat or drink in a careful manner, while stationary or crawling along slowly in a long traffic jam.

[Noteventhebestdrummer]

Bagel yes, sushi no

[MrsBertMacklin]

Full size one.

I know, I want one too. Preferably a cinnamon and raisin one, with cream cheese and raspberry jam.

[XCChamps]

I know I can't eat a chocyy bar while driving. Maybe others are more skilled but it does affect my driving (and I'm sure it's illegal?)

I've never understood why it's considered Ok to light and smoke a cigarette while driving.

[HeartsTrumpDiamonds]

Now I want a bagel with cream cheese.

NB I am not driving.

[Smoothyloopy]

I really fancy a cream cheese bagel now!

[AuraofDora]

Does it have smoked salmon with cream cheese?

[Ziar]

A full size bagel or one of those new 'thin' ones?

[JeffsanArsehole]

A woman was fined while stationery for taking a sip of water

There are no degrees, you can be prosecuted for driving without due care and attention for sipping water/changing a cd/eating a sweet

Me, I eat whole sandwiches at the wheel and not care

[MrsBertMacklin]

Sanity, I actually agree, takes your eyes off the road and diverts a hand, whereas a KitKat only takes a hand. I tried to list examples of things in order that they're legal/not.

[SacredHeart]

It provides its own handle, the hole! I think stick yer thumb in and chomp away!

Easy peasy

[patterkiller]

I see it the same as eating a sandwich or chocolate bar which seems to be the norm with commuters. I don't get drinking from bottles while driving where you have to tilt your head and the bottle obscures your vision.

[SanityClause]

a) is more dangerous than b) IMO.

And bagel eating, with a sticky filling like cream cheese is on a par with a).

[Konserve]

you should not eat whilst driving. full. stop.

bloody dangerous!

[BrandNewAndImproved]

It's not like it's a big mac

[MrsBertMacklin]

Open.

I think it's a fool's errand.