Will KFC Go Cups Make You a Worse Driver?

(Photo courtesy KFC)
(Photo courtesy KFC)

Break out the wet wipes and car freshener, Kentucky Fried Chicken has just released Go Cups for behind-the-wheel snacking. Targeting America's love of fast food, driving, and cheap meals, the oversized containers with smaller bottoms-which are designed to fit in a standard automobile cup holders-cradle a deep fried bounty of seasoned potato wedges with your choice of Chicken Littles, Extra Crispy Tenders, Original Recipe Boneless, Original Recipe Bites, or Hot Wings, all for a bottom-of-the-bucket price of $2.49. "People are already eating on the go," a spokesperson from KFC told Yahoo Shine, "and we're tying to make that as easy as possible." The patented container took two years to design.

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Before we get distracted parsing the difference between Littles, Bites, and Tenders, let's evaluate the ways eating chicken and fries on the road is a finger lickin' bad idea.

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Distracted Driving. While the focus of many safety advocacy groups tends to be on cell phones and texting, eating while driving is just as dangerous. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, eating while behind the wheel increases the risk of an accident by as much as 80%. A study by Allstate Insurance found that eating and drinking were the most frequent causes of distracted driving, and according to a survey by ExxonMobile, 70% of drivers eat while driving. Fried chicken even makes the list of 10 riskiest foods to eat while driving. Why? Aside from simply diverting your attention from the road intermittently, eating anything greasy means you'll wipe your fingers frequently-another distraction which also takes your hands from the wheel. So, put down that Tender (or is it a Little?). KFC counters that with their Go Cup, "The food is above the edge of the container so it's as convenient to get to as possible."

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Distracted Eating. A recent study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that eating while multitasking increases food intake. Hoovering your meal doesn't help either. The very definition for fast food means you buy it quickly and you eat it quickly. The brain takes about 20 minutes to register fullness, by that time you may have devoured one-or three-seasoned potato wedges too many. A paper by the Harvard School of Public Health points out the distracted eating can lead to weight gain. So can breaded chicken and friend potatoes.

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KFC is holding a photo contest on Instagram, #GoCupGo, to promote their new product, and while the meals are heavy on the salt, fat, and calories (one serving is 540 calories with 28 grams of fat and 1440 milligrams of sodium) they do look tasty. The cup features a clear plastic lid to keep the crisp breaded chicken and golden potato wedges hot. The Go Cup can be seen in parks, on campuses, and even being eaten on the back of a vintage locomotive. So far, no consumers have actually been foolish enough to post a Go Cup snapshot while driving.

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