Driving under the influence... of hunger
Alarming research from Sheilas’ Wheels car insurance has revealed that more than three quarters[1] (84 per cent) of female motorists drive whilst hungry and over half (56 per cent) break the law[2] by snacking behind the wheel just to save time.
Driving with a rumbling stomach can affect your ability to concentrate and make you feel tired. Driving whilst unwrapping a chocolate bar or sweet, can also have a detrimental affect on your driving ability. In fact, it’s estimated that more than 370,000[3] female motorists (2 per cent) have experienced an accident or ‘near miss’ when snacking at the wheel.
Gloria Thomas, lifestyle coach and fitness expert has put together these top tips to avoid skipping meals and snacking whilst driving:
- Think ahead and plan your food for the next day, especially if you know it’s going to be hectic
- Make sure each planned meal and snack consists of a complex carbohydrate and some protein to avoid a drop in blood sugar levels, which can lead to feelings of lethargy and shakiness
- Avoid refined carbohydrates - the simple way of following this rule is not to eat anything white. For example, swap white rice, pasta, potatoes and white bread for brown rice and pasta, whole wheat bread, oatmeal and sweet potatoes
- Refined or ‘simple’ carbohydrates can affect your mood, as well as adding ‘empty’ calories while you are in the sedentary driving position
- Protein-rich food, such as an egg for breakfast, will help you to feel full for longer and can be preferable to a carb-heavy meal, which can encourage bingeing and feelings of hunger
- Eat regularly - fatigue and stress can be caused by irregular and unhealthy meals and may lead to dangerous driving
- Caffeine has been shown to de-stabilise blood sugar levels and affect concentration, so avoid coffee or energy drinks before getting behind the wheel
- If you have managed to eat a substantial meal before your car journey, ensure that you allow some time to digest it - so that you don’t get in to the driving seat with an uncomfortably full stomach
- When travelling on a long journey, make sure that you factor in time for regular breaks so that you can have drinks and snacks as needed
[1] Sheilas’ Wheels used the independent online research company MyVoice who surveyed 1,000 of the UK’s female drivers, from across the country aged 18 and over, on 28th March 2008.
[2] Road Traffic Legislation: Regulation 104 (Driver has failed to exercise full control of the vehicle).
[3] Number of female motorists with provisional and full licenses - 18,970,948. Based on DVLA research, January 2006.
