Oak Park May Ban Eating While Driving

By Chuck Sudo in News on Oct 13, 2011 9:25PM

Some of you may think the bans on texting and using a cell phone while driving (and biking) in Chicago may be a step too far. To that we say, consider Oak Park, which is mulling a ban on a litany of non-driving related things drivers do behind the wheel, including eating while driving. If we're going to fulfill our dream of cruising down East Ave. in an I-Go rental eating pizza from Geppetto's, we better haul ass before this becomes law.

Oak Park's proposed measure raises the question of what constitutes a distraction behind the wheel. In addition to Illinois, 33 other states have banned texting while driving. On the list of distractions while driving, eating is probably low on the list, but it does belong there. We wouldn't be distracted sipping from a Big Gulp while on I-80, but we can see trying to unwrap a burrito and nearly rear-ending another car as a problem.