Hold Up, Is it Illegal to Eat While Driving in Iowa?
We're all very busy, right? On the go... often living out of our cars. One thing about Iowa and many Midwestern states, the place we live/work can be very rural. Meaning that mass transit or carpooling isn't always an option.
What this means is for many of us, myself included, longer commutes and more "windshield time". So it's only logical if this is your situation, you'll want to either grab something from the house, a gas station, or fast food restaurant and kill two birds with one stone: driving and having a meal.
I was inspired to find out if it's illegal in Iowa to munch on, say a burger while headin' down I-380. I found a story from Ryan who works at one of our sister stations about a similar question he had in Indiana.
Can I eat and drive in Iowa?
The short answer is yes. Or at least, no officer would hit the sirens and pull you over if they spot you snacking while operating your vehicle. I confirmed this with the insurance website Trusted Choice.
Now that said, you can get a hefty ticket for eating and driving if the officer decides that you're driving distracted and, that eating while behind the wheel is the reason why.
Think of texting and driving (illegal in Iowa). It's distracting, right? That's why it's illegal. It takes your hands off the wheel and your eyes off the road. Theoretically, eating and driving can do the same thing.
The website Barnes Firm shared some insight on the dangers of eating behind the wheel, but didn't share any eating while driving-related stats as there really aren't any that are tracked. However, they did share a statistic: about nine people are killed each day in the United States from distracted driving.
One has to imagine food is involved in some of these tragic fatalities.
Eat safe, drive safe, and always remember: when the weather gets cold, you can use the seat heater on the passenger side to keep your drive-thru order warm. Then you can eat it once you get home safely.
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