Caution: Drivers Eating  

April 27, 2003

Follow the evidence.  That's the mantra of the crime-scene investigators on the television series "C.S.I."

And that evidence is hard to miss in the case of the countless Long Island drivers who share a guilty secret – with a definite emphasis on guilty rather than secret.  Their hands are not always on the wheel, and their minds are not always on the traffic because they are often eating and driving.  And, oh, those stains.

Hot coffee, dripping ice cream cones, Big Gulp sodas, super-sized French fries and burgers with the works are being devoured behind the wheel, giving new meaning to the phrase "feeding onto the parkway."

"I'm very guilty of eating and driving," said Michele Cavaliere of Wantagh.  She admits that her technique of draping burger, fries and ketchup puddle on the greasy wrapper across her lap doesn't quite allow for "good foot maneuvering."  She said, "It was either brake for the red light or keep my burger in place on my lap."

When it comes to dining al auto, Joann Pappalardo of Massapequa said, "The only thing missing is the waiter."  But her rule of the ravenous road is no condiments, though coffee stains are inevitable.  "My car interior has had as much coffee as I have."

The police can only shake their heads. 

Because an honest reaction to a steaming coffee in the lap might include, say, taking the eyes off the road, hands off the wheel or foot off the brake.  Those oh-so-human reflexes could lead to a traffic violation, or even a crash.  Lt. Kevin Caslin of the Nassau County Police Department Highway Patrol has seen drivers eating, drinking, reading and applying makeup.  "They are all enormous potential hazards," he said. 

Lt. Caslin added:  "But even if the accident was caused by the driver spilling coffee in his lap, the fact is that drinking coffee is not illegal, as long as you have at least one hand on the wheel," said Lt. Caslin.  "You're required by vehicle traffic law to have at least one hand on the wheel at all times."

Sgt. Lou Dini, of the Suffolk County Highway Patrol, said:  "You see a lot of coffee drinking in the morning on their way to work, which of course ties up one hand while they're driving.  We had a guy shaving.  There's nothing that says you can't shave, it's just stupid." 

But back to the hungry and the guilty. 

Besides Wendy's and Taco Bell, Shannon Prebeti of Wantagh said, "I eat Dunkin Donuts, too, because it's not too messy," though, being practical, she avoids jelly donuts.  But how does she eat and drive?  "I put the cup in between my legs, right hand on the wheel and the donut in the other hand." 

And drive-by dining doesn't necessarily mean fast food.  "I'm a strict vegetarian," said Sharon Haladino of Merrick, who eats whole-wheat pitas stuffed with hummus and cucumber at the wheel. 

This form of meals on wheels has gained more notice since the ban on hand-held cellphones focused attention on multi-tasking in the driver's seat.  And the evidence is more than anecdotal that more people are stuffing their faces while putting the pedal to the metal.

The Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research at the State University of New York-Albany watched 39,042 drivers at 200 sites throughout New York State in the spring of 2002 to study cellphone use and other behaviors that distract drivers.

The institute's deputy director, Anne Dowling, said, 3 percent of the drivers, or 1,160 people, were using a cellphone, and 15 percent, or 5,733, were engaged in other distracting behavior.  Of those 5,733, 26 percent were eating or drinking.

Evidence of lunching at 60 miles an hour is overwhelming, according to Long Island car detailing companies, which often get called upon to clean up the mess that comes after that unexpected stomp on the brakes.

"Coffee is probably the biggest issue, it never sits right," said Jeff Aulicino, co-owner of J&T Professional Auto Detailing Inc. in Franklin Square, who estimates that 90% of the cars he cleans have coffee stains.  "It's harder to get coffee out if it has sugar in it, even if it's in leather or carpet, because it forms a shell."

Then there's the tell-tale taco.  "Whenever people have Taco Bell you find tons of lettuce," said Jason Savino, who owns Dr. Detail in Patchogue.  "There's no way anyone can eat a hard taco."  If you must eat and drive, Mr. Savino has some recommendations:  "Taco Bell's MexiMelt, it's completely self-contained and never makes a mess, and Chicken McNuggets.  Anything they have to put condiments on should not be eaten."

These industry experts have also observed a correlation between vehicle and victuals.  "You'll never find a French fry in a BMW or Mercedes," Mr. Savino said.

Mike Zanni of Front Line Car Detailing of Lynbrook agreed, saying he only finds Poland Spring water bottles in high-end cars.

Whether the stains are from crème brûlée or Carvel cone doesn't matter.  The issue isn't diet, but danger.  "Food causes accidents," Mr. Savino said.  "I think it's more difficult to eat and drive than talk on the phone and drive.  When people are eating, they're more likely to react to a spill or a drip."

Frenetic lifestyles lead to eating on the road.  The fast food industry offers convenient drive-throughs, and car manufacturers have modified interior designs to accommodate eating and drinking.  Mr. Savino remembers when there was no such thing as a cup holder.  "Car manufacturers today are putting in anywhere from 4 to 12 cup holders," he said.  "They're almost promoting you to eat and drive." 

Joseph Varsalona of East Patchogue has been eating on the road for years.  He recalled his 1985 Renault Alliance convertible whose only cup accommodation – two shallow circular indentations on the inside of the drop-down glove compartment door – was insufficient.  Instead, he positioned his cup in the steering wheel.  "Barring any sharp right or left turns, I had my cup neatly nestled in front of me," he said.  "I was able to shift, drive and also eat my buttered roll on the way to the office."

But things have changed since 1985, and the auto industry has gone out of its way to make the in-vehicle dining experience easier. 

Addressing cup-holder culture, Chris Naughton, a Honda spokesman, said, "At a minimum, Honda passenger cars offer one cup holder for each outboard passenger."  The Odyssey minivan has 11 cup holders.  In the Pilot, Honda's latest S.U.V., "The activity tray in the armrest of the second-row seat will hold fast-food sauces for chicken fingers and the like," he said.  The Element, Honda's other new S.U.V., has waterproof seat fabric and a urethane-coated utility floor for easy cleaning.

Dave Reuter, Ford spokesman in the product development department, said, "In the early 1990's you had available at least one place for a cup, generally for the driver.  And it evolved from that to center consoles and cup holders for rear passengers in center armrests, all the way to our minivans and sports utilities, which have them in all three rows of seats."

And what does the future hold for dashboard dining?  "I think we've pretty much evolved," Mr. Reuter said.  "Cup holders will remain, but other areas of the car will not be reengineered to accept eating in the car.  The main function of the vehicle it to be driven safely."