One in three drivers sometimes eat food behind the wheel despite the dangers of distracted driving, new research finds.

One in ten drivers admit suffering a near-miss because they were distracted by food

According to a survey by Brake and Direct Line, just over a quarter of people (27%) have unwrapped and eaten the food and a third (33%) admit to eating food someone else has unwrapped for them.

This is despite one in 10 respondents saying they had been involved in a near-miss because they were distracted by eating food.

Research shows that drivers who eat and drink at the wheel are twice as likely to crash as well as running the risk a driving ban. Although it is not against to law to eat while driving, drivers can be prosecuted for driving without due care and attention or careless driving

Alice Bailey, communications and campaigns advisor for Brake, said: “Imagining a distracted driver you may think of someone on a mobile phone, but many things can dangerously draw our attention away from the roads around us. In the fast-paced world we live in it is sometimes tempting to eat on the go, but drivers who are distracted by something else, even food, significantly increase their risk of causing a devastating crash. If you’re hungry, you probably need to take a short break from driving to eat and recuperate before continuing your journey when you’re not distracted by hunger or eating.”