Here’s what they found:

Top 10 foods to avoid while driving

1. Coffee. Even with a travel lid, hot coffee can find its way out of the opening when you hit a bump.

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

3. Tacos. Any food that can disassemble itself will leave your car looking like a salad bar.

4. Chili dogs. Huge potential for drips and slops down the front of clothing.

5. Hamburgers. From the grease to the toppings, it all could end up on your hands and the steering wheel.

6. Ribs and wings. What’s more distracting than licking your fingers?

7. Fried chicken. More greasy hands. You’ve got to wipe them off while you’re driving.

8. Jelly donuts. It’s not possible to eat one without watching the center ooze out.

9. Soda. Carbonation. Fizz in the nose. Lids that leak. Disaster.

10. Chocolate. Try to clean melted chocolate off the steering wheel
without swerving.

Food, of course, isn’t the only culprit in causing 80% of all highway crashes, the NHTSA says. Here are some others:

–  Using a cell phone. Calling for carry-out?
–  Reaching for a moving object. Flying French fries?
–  Looking at an object or event outside of the vehicle. Where is
Starbucks?
– Reading. Or tweeting for the closest BBQ?
–  Applying makeup. Every second counts!