Driver Distraction:
Has a new temptation been created?
Ron Lomas
As responsible advanced drivers, we fully understand the importance of maintaining complete concentration behind the wheel. To observe, anticipate and plan (OAP) effectively throughout every journey, drivers need all of their senses and attention focused on the task of driving at all times.
We also recognise the many temptations within modern vehicles that can distract us from that concentration. In older cars it may have been the radio, cassette player or CD system.
Today, however, distractions are far greater. Modern vehicles are packed with technology: touchscreens, menus, switches, alerts and controls competing constantly for the driver’s attention. Added to this are passengers and, of course, the greatest distraction of all — the mobile phone.
As disciplined advanced drivers, we generally resist these distractions and use them only when safe and appropriate. Sadly, the same cannot be said for every road user.
According to a 2025 survey*, around 14.8 million UK drivers admit to carrying out other tasks while driving. Research** suggests distracted driving contributed to approximately 3,564 collisions in 2023, including 95 fatalities. In reality, those figures are likely to be significantly higher, as police can only record distraction where it is identifiable as a contributory factor.
This raises an important question: why are we introducing yet another temptation that is almost guaranteed to distract drivers?
Few of us can have failed to notice the rapid increase in drive-thru food and drink outlets at motorway services and major roadside locations. By design, these facilities cater specifically for drivers who do not wish to leave their vehicles. While many motorists may use them responsibly, it would be naïve to assume everyone waits until the end of their journey — or even a safe stopping point — before consuming what they have purchased.
Surely, the very concept of “drive-thru” encourages eating and drinking while driving.
Consider a common scenario. A driver purchases a hot drink, places it into the vehicle’s cup holder, and rejoins the motorway. Travelling at 70mph, they decide to take a sip. Think for a moment about the sequence involved: reaching down, lifting the cup, drinking, perhaps taking a second sip, then carefully replacing it. How long does that take? Conservatively, perhaps ten seconds. In reality, it could easily be longer — particularly if food is involved as well. But even using ten seconds, the implications are concerning.
At 70mph, a vehicle travels approximately 103 feet every second. Over ten seconds, that vehicle will cover around 1,030 feet - approximately 314 metres or 78 car lengths.
That is 78 car lengths travelled:
• with one hand off the wheel,
• without full concentration on the road ahead,
• without proper awareness of surrounding traffic,
• and with the driver’s attention divided.
It is a sobering thought.
So, is it sensible to place this additional temptation in front of drivers?
The expansion of drive-thru facilities at motorway services has been rapid. In 2012, Starbucks began trialling drive-thru outlets at selected A-road and Welcome Break sites. Costa Coffee opened one of the first motorway-based drive-thrus at Rownhams East Services on the M27 in 2016. By 2019, McDonald’s had introduced full fast-food drive-thru facilities at Durham Services on the A1(M).
What began as coffee and light snacks has evolved into full meals designed for consumption “on the go”.
Today, in 2026, it is difficult to find a motorway service area without some form of drive-thru facility. More brands are expected to enter the market, with companies such as Pret A Manger reportedly exploring motorway drive-thru locations. Operators cite growing demand for convenience and “on the go” refreshments, while service providers see them as a way of attracting customers who may otherwise not stop at all.
Drive-thrus are clearly here to stay — and they are likely to increase further.
At present, eating or drinking non-alcoholic beverages while driving is not, in itself, a specific criminal offence in the UK. However, the Highway Code is clear that drivers must maintain full control of their vehicle and give proper attention to the road.
Rule 148 specifically states that drivers must avoid distractions, including eating and drinking while driving. Although consuming food or drink behind the wheel is not automatically illegal, a driver may still be prosecuted for careless or inconsiderate driving if their actions affect their control of the vehicle or the standard of driving falls below what is expected of a competent driver.
Perhaps every drive-thru purchase should carry a safety warning, such as: “Eating or drinking while driving can distract you and may amount to driving without due care and attention.”
Official UK collision statistics do not currently separate eating and drinking at the wheel into a dedicated category. However, numerous surveys and safety studies suggest the issue is widespread. Research*** indicates that between 71% and 78% of drivers admit to eating or drinking while driving. Studies**** have also suggested that drivers who eat or drink at the wheel are approximately 3.6 to 4 times more likely to be involved in a collision.
Around 10% of drivers surveyed***** admitted experiencing a near miss caused by eating-related distraction — situations involving sudden braking or swerving that could easily have resulted in a serious collision.
This is not about spoiling people’s enjoyment of food and drink. It is about questioning whether a growing culture of “on the go” consumption is unintentionally increasing the risks on our roads.
It appears, at least on the surface, that the expansion of motorway drive-thru facilities has developed with little public discussion about the safety implications or how drivers would realistically use them.
Perhaps those risks have been fully considered and judged minimal. Perhaps I am being overly cautious. But one cannot help wondering how many collisions linked to eating and drinking behind the wheel will occur before the connection receives greater attention.
Time will tell.
Ron Lomas
SWAM Member
*. Direct Line Group March 2025 - 35% of drivers surveyed admitted carrying out other tasks while driving, that was extrapolated to roughly 14.8 million drivers.
**UK Government road safety statistics - cited by Direct Line Group - underlying data drawn from official DfT reported road casualty statistics for Great Britain
*** Multiple distracted driving surveys conducted by insurers, road safety groups, and polling firms over different years between 2008 and 2024.
**** Lytx (formerly DriveCam) 2014 - widely reported in fleet safety and road safety publications
***** 2016 survey conducted by Brake in partnership with Direct Line