That's Hot!

I'm sure most people remember the story of poor Stella Liebeck, that victim of cruel fate who had the misfortune of spilling a cup of McDonald's coffee on her in 1992, sued, and won almost 3 million dollars because she didn't realize that hot coffee was hot. (If you noticed a bit of sarcasm there, I'll admit it, it was there....). If you ever wondered where this rash of mindless warning labels came from, like, careful, knife is sharp, or careful, you could fall off this balcony if you lean over too far, now you know. Companies felt the need to rush out warning label after warning label to protect us all from the Stella Liebeck that resides in each of us.

But that does raise a legitimate question. What do you do if you spill hot coffee (or your jelly doughnut, or your hamburger or your soda) all over you while you're driving? That's what we are going to delve into right now.

First off, this happens all the time. It seems that more and more, we are doing more and more things while we are supposed to be driving. We are talking on the phone, checking how our hair looks in the mirror, drinking coffee, and thinking about how work is going to go or how the kids are doing in school. With all that going on, it's easy to lose focus and spill something on yourself. Sometimes these are just annoyances, like a jelly or ketchup stain on your shirt. Other times, it can be more serious, such as a hot beverage spilled near your groin.

Regardless of what happens, the first thing to remember is that you must maintain control of the car. A spill, whether it's on your 700 dollar pair of ripped jeans, or on the seat next to you, is no reason to take your focus from driving. You must maintain control of the car no matter what. Do not, and I repeat, do not take your eyes off the road, see how bad the stain is, and try to clean it by spitting on a napkin and trying to rub it out while you drive. If you've learned anything from these articles, hopefully it is that where your focus goes, the car does too, and if you are trying to get a stain out by focusing on the right side of your body, the car will start to go right as well. Whether you stained your jeans, ripped the seat, or spilled that 12 dollar cup of coffee that you were craving all morning, none of them are worth your life, so don't let them be. Stay focused and keep control of the car. If you must clean it up immediately, pull over when it's safe, and only then, take care of it.

But what if we have a serious issue, like a coffee burn (and I have heard of coffee causing third degree burns, as a matter of fact, my sister received third degree burns when she accidentally spilled water meant for tea over her when she was two, so it can, and does, happen). The steps are very similar. First, stay in control of the car. No matter how painful the injury, a crash will hurt much worse, so keep control of the car. If the situation is serious, pull over when it's safe to do so, and check yourself out. Notice I said when safe to do so, that doesn't mean you make a beeline from the left lane all the way to the shoulder of the road, cutting off everyone else. Your pain doesn't give you that right. You proceed safely, respecting everyone else. When you get to a safe place to pull over, check the injury. If it is very painful, and you get the feeling it's serious (it's amazing, but our bodies seem to know just how serious an injury is if we only decide to listen to them), get help. Don't hesitate to call 911 if you think you can't drive or if the pain is that bad. There is no rule saying that 911 is only for serious injuries. If you think you are compromised because of what happened, and cannot drive safely, call 911 and let someone help you. Follow what they have to say, and get the help you need.

One tip I can give you that can help you avoid burns in dangerous places is to not place a hot drink between your legs on the seat. It is very common for people to use their legs as drink holders, especially if we are talking about a car that does not have drink holders. There are a few reasons you should not do this. First off, is the danger issue with hot beverages, but the other important issue is distraction. I have seen this with myself, and other people where the driver has a drink between his or her legs, usually a soda. They have to stop fast, and as a result, the drink goes flying forward, spilling all over the brake and gas pedals and the driver's shoes. What is dangerous is not the spilling, but the inevitable attempt to stop the spill. Just like when we are sitting down, if we see a drink about to fall, we will put our hands out to stop it. When someone has their drink between their legs, and has to stop suddenly, let's say for a car that cut them off or a kid who ran in to the street, as soon as the driver feels that drink going forward, they will instinctively try to keep the drink from falling, thereby taking a part of their focus off of the road. This focus could be taken away just when the driver needs to begin braking or needs to swerve to avoid hitting someone or something. If there is no drink between the driver's legs, he or she have nothing to distract them, and they can drive much safer.

Spilling coffee or anything else on you while driving can be either an annoyance, or a dangerous situation. Whatever it is, remember these things: No matter what, don't lose control of the car. Don't take your focus off the road to clean up, only do that after you're safely pulled over. And above all, remember that hot drinks can cause serious burns, so if you think that has happened to you, don't hesitate to call 911, that's what they're there for. Until next time...