10 Worst Foods to Eat While Driving

It's tempting if you're in a hurry. It's something most people have done at one time or another. But eating is a dangerous distraction while you're driving.

The term "distracted driving" refers to anything that takes your eyes, hands or mind away from driving. Eating while driving is one of the most distracting things you can do, according to several surveys by insurance companies and data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

According to a 2006 study released by the NHTSA and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, 80% of crashes and 65% of near-crashes involve some form of driver distraction within three seconds before the crash.

In addition to food and beverages, other common distractions include outside accidents, adjusting the radio, children, pets, objects moving in the vehicle, talking or texting on a cell phone, smoking, putting on makeup, shaving and reading.

"Distraction was most likely to be involved in rear-end collisions in which the lead vehicle was stopped, and in single-vehicle crashes," reports the NHTSA.

A restraining order against food

Hagerty Classic Insurance, a provider of classic-car insurance, began looking more closely at the problem of eating behind the wheel after a DMV check on an insurance applicant turned up a "restraining order" against anything edible within his reach while driving.

Hagerty President McKeel Hagerty says his company also often receives claims for damage to the interiors of classic cars caused by food. "It's tough to replace original wool carpets or particular colors of leather seats," he says.

In looking at the company's claims history, Hagerty found that drivers had the most problems during morning commutes, when spills were likely to mar their work attire. Many of those motorists ran into trouble when trying to clean up spills while still driving.

"It really seems it's more the spill than the eating," says Hagerty. "Anything that drips is probably not a good idea."

Hagerty and his staff did a study of their own to see which foods are the worst offenders. They rated foods commonly consumed in vehicles according to each item's popularity, as well as the degree of distraction and the difficulty of eating it with only one hand on the wheel.

Coffee tops the list because of its tendency to spill. Even in cups with travel lids, somehow the liquid finds its way out when you drive over a bump, says Hagerty. "I've certainly spilled my share of coffee while I'm driving, and it's not when I'm trying to drink, it's when I hit bumps in the road."

As if the stains aren't bad enough, hot coffee can also burn, further distracting drivers.

The top 10 food offenders in a car are:

1. Coffee: It always finds a way out of the cup.

2. Hot soup: Many people drink it like coffee and run the same risks.

3. Tacos: "A food that can disassemble itself without much help, leaving your car looking like a salad bar," says Hagerty.

4. Chili: The potential for drips and slops down the front of clothing is significant.

5. Hamburgers: From the grease of the burger to the ketchup and mustard on top, plenty of goop can end up on your hands, clothes and steering wheel.

6. Barbecued food: Similar issue arises for barbecued foods as for hamburgers. The sauce may be great, but it will end up on whatever you touch.

7. Fried chicken: Another food that leaves you with greasy hands, which means constantly wiping them on something, even if it's your shirt. It also makes the steering wheel greasy.

8. Jelly- or cream-filled doughnuts: Has anyone ever eaten a jelly doughnut without some of the center oozing out? And jelly can be difficult to remove from material.

9. Soft drinks: Not only are they subject to spills, but they also can fizz as you're drinking them if you make sudden movements. Most of us have childhood memories of soda fizz in the nose; the sensation isn't any more pleasant now.

10. Chocolate: Like greasy foods, chocolate can coat your fingers as it melts against the warmth of your skin, leaving its mark anywhere you touch. Try to clean it off the steering wheel and you could end up unintentionally swerving.

10 Tips for Keeping Your Pet Safe on Summer Days

1. Dogs and cats can quickly dehydrate, so make sure your pet has plenty of fresh, clean water at all times – but especially during hot weather. If your pet will be outside in the heat any length of time, he should have access to complete shade and again, an ample supply of drinking water.
2. Exercise your dog in the morning or evening during the coolest temps of the day, stay in the shade whenever possible, and keep all your animals indoors when it's extremely hot, generally considered to be 90^oF or hotter.
3. Regardless of the time of day, don't overdo exercise sessions. Long periods of exercise in hot weather, even after the sun goes down, can bring on heatstroke – especially in flat-faced dogs that pant less effectively than breeds with longer muzzles.
4. Never, EVER leave your pet alone in a parked vehicle on a hot day. Your car or truck cab can become a furnace very quickly, even with the windows open, and can cause a fatal case of heatstroke in your beloved pet. Aside from the risk of serious illness or death for your pet, leaving pets unattended in vehicles in hot weather is illegal in many states.
5. Make sure your dog knows how to swim before giving her access to a pool, pond, lake or other body of water. Not all dogs, even breeds known for their affinity for water, instinctively know how to swim. Introduce your pup to water gradually.
   
   

   Make sure if you take your dog boating she wears her own floatation device. Even if she's an excellent swimmer, if she should get injured or worn out from exertion, the floatation device will keep her in sight until she can be rescued. If your dog doesn't listen to the 'come' command, always attach a long rope to her life vest so you can 'reel' her in.

6. Play in the sprinkler with your dog or hose her down with cool water if she must stay outside and cannot avoid temperatures over 90 degrees.
7. Don't walk or otherwise subject your dog (or cat) to hot pavement. Not only can this result in burns to tender paws, but because animals are close to the ground – and the ground is much hotter than the air – your animal can quickly overheat.
8. Keep your pet safe from toxic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides commonly used during spring and summer months.
9. Take care to keep your pet away from the potential food and drink hazards of your backyard barbeques, and remember to keep them safe at home during fireworks displays. Many animals suffer extreme fear from the noise, and the explosives themselves can be potentially hazardous to a curious pet.
10. Work with a holistic veterinarian to help your pet avoid summer pests like fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes. There are safe, natural methods to both prevent and eradicate summertime pest infestations.

Know the Signs of Overheating

Symptoms your pet is overheated include:

• Excessive panting
• Difficulty breathing
• Elevated body temperature (over 104 degrees)
• Increased heart rate and respiration
• Drooling
• Weakness or collapse
• Seizures
• Diarrhea and vomiting

If you have an older pet, one that is overweight or obese, an animal with a heart or lung condition, or a dog or cat with a flat face, the very best thing you can do during hot summer days is keep your pet inside in the air conditioning, with plenty of cool, fresh water to drink.

2 Items That Your Homeowners Insurance May Not Cover

Most people think about their homeowners insurance only a few times in their lives: when they select their insurer, when they're writing premium checks and when they have a claim.

By the time something goes wrong, however, it's usually way too late to begin learning about your policy.

There are some gaps in your coverage you can't do anything about, of course. Insurers aren't going to cover you for a nuclear accident, for example, no matter how many companies you ask.

Many so-called exclusions, though, vary by the insurer. If you know about them in advance, you may be able to switch carriers or buy extra insurance to stay protected. So pull out your policy and check for the following:

Mold and water damage

A spike in mold-related claims at the turn of the century led most insurers to strike the coverage entirely from their homeowners policies.

The frenzy over toxic mold reached a peak around 2002, the year television personality Ed McMahon filed a $20 million lawsuit against his insurer over mold that he said sickened his family and killed his dog. (McMahon later settled for $7.2 million.) A huge increase in mold-related claims in Texas, California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona led insurers to eliminate or at least reduce their exposure.

Most homeowners insurers now exclude mold from their coverage, said Frank J. Coyne, chairman and CEO for the Insurance Services Office, which supplies statistical data to property and casualty insurers. Many insurers also limit how much they'll cover for water damage.

In fact, in some cases you may have trouble getting coverage for a home that's had water claims in the past.

Sewer backup

The only thing more disgusting than a bathroom floor overflowing with waste is the fact that you may have to pick up the cleaning bill yourself.

Sewage backups are frequently not covered by homeowners policies unless you purchase a special rider. Many homeowners who experience this particular disaster try to get their cities to pay for the damage, but governments typically aren't liable unless the homeowner can prove negligence -- and is willing to go to court over the matter.

A cheaper solution? Check your policy, and if you're not covered, buy the rider for $50 to $100.

Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy. How do you relax?

Bart, with $10,000, we'd be millionaires! We could buy all kinds of useful things like...love!" What would you buy if you won the lottery?

10 Safety Tips for Teen Drivers

1. Pay for Extra Driver Training If you can afford it, consider investing in additional behind-the-wheel driver education for your teen. As we discussed in our third installment, the state of driver's ed in the United States is absolutely deplorable and shows no sign of improving. There are a lot of reasons for this, not the least of which is the absence of a national standard. Instead, each state makes its rules. Because of this, there is a wide disparity in the quality of driver training from state to state. Make sure you choose an "active" setting (where your child actually gets behind the wheel and drives) versus a classroom setting, since the latter is mainly book learning, while the former teaches your child the real-world driving dynamics of an automobile. There are a number of racing schools and low-cost programs around the country.

2. Have Your Child Drive You Crazy Well, not literally. What we mean here is, once your child receives her learner's permit, have her drive everywhere possible -- to the store, school, the bowling alley, wherever -- with you in the passenger seat, of course. It's crucial that your child gets as much "wheel" time as possible before going off on her own. Remember, nothing gives a better understanding of the dynamics of a motor vehicle than repeated exposure to the actual driving experience.

3. Talk to Your Child as You Drive Continuing the theme above, communicate with your child as you travel together. Turn off the radio and talk to him about safety hazards you encounter along the way. Remember this one point: By the time your teen reaches driving age, you've most likely been driving him around for 15-plus years; you have much to impart. Remember, too, that body language and hand signals can be as effective as spoken directions. For instance, if you see a car nosing out of a driveway, a simple gesture in that direction can alert your teen driver to the potential danger. Also, remind yourself of the safety hazards you notice in your own driving, and communicate these to your child as you travel. Some common themes: watching downhill speed, spotting trouble ahead, braking sooner rather than later. Remind your child that defensive driving is all about anticipation.

4. Don't Rant, Yell, Scream or Shout -- Until You Get Home As much as you may want to, it's best not to overreact while on the road with your teen driver. Wait until you get home. Then you can yell all you want. Seriously, there's a safety reason for this. Studies have shown that an emotionally charged conversation compromises driving performance, reducing attention span and increasing distraction. If your child does something wrong on the road, make a mental note to discuss it when you get home, or, if you find the infraction serious enough, have her pull over and take over the driving for her. Whatever you do, do not yell or rant at your child while she drives. This could be dangerous for both of you.

5. Review Your Driving Session Along these same lines, consider a brief review of the day's driving once you return home. As gently and calmly as possible, discuss potential problems and solutions, dangers you encountered on the road and things to pay attention to in future trips.


Once your child receives his license, the landscape changes a little. However, your job is far from over. Now, you kick into surveillance mode. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open. What you see and hear -- and how you respond to it -- could save your child's life.

1. Meet Your Child's Traveling Companions The social aspects of teen driving cannot not be underestimated. The sudden freedom of mobility acts like an elixir to some teens. Be sure to monitor your child's comings and goings, doing the best you can to keep track of his companions. As we discussed in Part Two, a number of factors influence teen driver safety. Besides the usual culprits of drugs and alcohol, other issues, such as speeding, bravado and failure to wear seatbelts, account for thousands of lost teen lives every year. Equally significantly, a recent study found that a 16-year-old driver with three or more passengers was three times as likely to die in a fatal wreck than one driving alone.

2. Remind Your Teen Driver About the Risks Be the most annoying parent you can be. Remind your child frequently of the inherent dangers of operating a motor vehicle with anything less than 100 percent concentration. Insist that she not operate a car while drunk or high -- and, equally important, that she not ride with a driver similarly intoxicated. If necessary, make yourself available for emergency pick-ups.

3. Choose a Safe Car.The type of car your teen driver operates can be a matter of life and death. Choose one in good working condition, with solid crash test scores and a strong record for reliability. If shopping for a used car, closely inspect tires and brakes, belts and hoses, and other systems that can influence the safety or dependability of the vehicle.

4. Ride Periodically with Your Teen Continue to ride with your teen driver from time to time, reviewing safety tips and monitoring his driving skills. Bad habits can crop up at any time, but are especially prevalent in the beginning years of driving. Best to nip them in the bud. Frequent, ongoing drive-alongs are the best way to keep tabs on a teen driver's progress. Remember that the first few years are absolutely crucial in establishing solid driving habits, which can then lead to a lifetime of safe driving.

5. Have Your Child Share Insurance and Other Costs Since driving is a privilege and not a right, consider having your child share in the cost of operating the vehicle. This will not only teach her responsibility, but will also give her a dawning realization that nothing is free. It might also translate into better driving skills.

Well, there you have it -- our top 10 safety tips for teen drivers. We trust you'll utilize them in keeping your child safe on the road.

Whatever your decisions in this area, realize that direct involvement with your child is the best way to insure against accidents and fatalities. Taking an active role can truly make a difference.

Souce:http://www.edmunds.com/advice/womenfamilies/articles/45396/article.html

“If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?”

What was your favorite toy as a kid?