Cops Shame Driver Who Crashed Into a Highway Guardrail While Mixing a Protein Shake

A driver in Marin County, California, crashed into a metal highway guardrail this month while preparing a protein shake behind the wheel, according to CHP Marin. The California Highway Patrol office shared photos from the scene on its Facebook page on June 1. The vehicle, by the looks of the images, ended up well off the highway.

One of the images shows a mangled piece of Slotted Rail Terminal guardrail end treatment on the highway shoulder. In the same photo, a CHP officer crouches at the scene with a notepad. The other image, taken inside the vehicle’s cabin, shows a BlenderBottle protein-shake mixer lying on its side atop a stack of yellow microfiber towels.

CHP Marin posted the images alongside a caption framing the crash as the latest item on a growing list of what not to do behind the wheel. Though the post didn’t identify the specific freeway on which the incident occurred, it was meant to shame the driver. It didn’t mention any injuries; there was no mention of any charges. Other details about the timing of the crash itself were also not in the post.

Distracted driving, in the agency’s framing, is anything that takes a driver’s attention away from safe driving. The CHP Marin post closed with a takeaway about morning routines. Make breakfast at home, the agency suggested, rather than during the commute.

What the CHP Says Happened

The vehicle, a small truck visible in one of the photographs, seemed to have struck the end of the guardrail before coming to rest. No other vehicles are visible in the crash. The CHP Marin team brought at least one officer to the scene to document the wreck.

The team took photos on the shoulder and inside the vehicle, then posted them that evening to Facebook and Instagram accounts. The caption suggested it had occurred earlier the same day. No third-party news outlet has independently reported on the case at publication.

The Distracted-Driving Message

CHP Marin has long used its social media accounts to flag specific distracted-driving incidents and post the accompanying photos. This one adds making protein shakes at speed to that catalog. It probably goes without saying that this is a bad idea, but apparently not.

California traffic enforcement treats activities like eating, drinking, and food preparation as forms of distracted driving. Drivers who use their time on the road for meal prep are putting themselves and others at risk. The CHP post doesn’t say, however, whether the protein shake survived.