The nice thing about having a 10-minute commute to work is that my ability to eat poorly is way down.

Driving 45 minutes one way — as I did for about five years — gave me lots of time for audiobooks and podcasts, but when you spend that much time in a car, it almost becomes a home away from home. Think of it as a moving couch.

No, you don’t stream your favorite shows (if you’re smart), but you can hit a drive-thru and graze on whatever you want and be in a food coma when you finally get to work or return home.

Guilty as charged.

I don’t even want to think about how many meals, snacks and beverages I consumed while negotiating the vast and mostly desolate expanse of Route 11 that connects Trumbull County to Ashtabula County, our neighbor to the north. Let’s just say there were … more than a few.

According to a press release and story pitch that showed up in my inbox this week, I was not alone.

The headline read:

“Ohio Long Distance Commuters Among the Unhealthiest in America, Finds Study.”

The curmudgeonly copy editor in me wanted to stop and pick apart that blatant violation of Associated Press style, but this column wasn’t going to write itself, so I let it go.

(Wait. It just occurred to me that “curmudgeonly copy editor” is redundant. Every copy editor I’ve ever known has been curmudgeonly, including this one. It’s almost a job requirement.

I started young. I can remember a friend of mine calling me a curmudgeon not long after we graduated high school. And you know what? He wasn’t wrong.)

But back to that press release / story pitch, which came in handy this week. Otherwise, you’d be reading an angry rant about partisan politics and how we’ve lost the ability to be civil to one another when we’re afraid our candidate might lose.

The study, conducted by Potamkin Hyundai out of Miami Lakes, Florida, included these subplots:

• Two out of three drivers admit that they choose their routes based on the availability of fast food drive-thru options.

Guilty as charged.

• Respondents reported consuming an average of 420 calories during a single commute.

Only 420? They’re either lightweights or they’re lying through their McDonald’s grease-shellacked teeth.

• Ohio long-distance commuters are among the unhealthiest in the United States. The study reported that 80 percent of those drivers regularly consume junk food while commuting. That’s 4,481,723 drivers, which ranks Ohio 17th among America’s unhealthiest drivers.

We’d better step up our face-stuffing if we’re going to crack the top five, which include:

• Maryland, where 92% of drivers snack on junk food (2,862,536 drivers.)

• Arkansas 92% (1,203,770).

• Mississippi 91% (1,120,751).

• Louisiana 88% (1,745,860).

• Georgia 84% (4,202,606).

As you might suspect, all that mobile mouth-stuffing can lead to mishaps on the road. The study showed 44 percent admitted to having “food mishaps” behind the wheel because of risky behavior.

Among them:

• Eating hot food that could spill or burn: 48%.

• Driving with their knees: 32%

• Balancing a meal on their lap: 13%

• Eating with utensils while steering: 6%

Those numbers actually seem low, given the other revelations in the study.

I’ll admit to the last one. How else is one supposed to consume a Wendy’s chocolate Frosty?

So what states have the healthiest drivers? (Also known as those unable to multitask behind the wheel.) They include:

• New Hampshire, where 43% snack on junk food (311,248).

• Utah, 56 percent (898,445).

• Connecticut, 60% (1,075,072).

• Nebraska, 60% (602,782).

• Washington, 63% (2,351,189).

You know what? Crunching all those numbers has made me hungry. I might have to find a Taco Bell on the way home tonight. But I’ll have to eat it fast since I’ve lost 35 minutes off my commute.

Don’t worry. I’ll be careful. I always put my food down when necessary … especially when I’m trying to find the right music by which to enjoy dinner.

Just kidding.

Drive safely and keep the burgers, burritos, chicken nuggets, boiled squid and cellphones out of your hands behind the wheel.

That public safety notice is brought to you by the Shaker Heights Police Department. Whatever you do, don’t eat or even have your cellphone within arm’s reach while driving in Shaker Heights.

In fact, don’t drive there at all. Avoid it altogether. Take my word for it. Lesson learned … the hard way.

Ed Puskas is editor of the Tribune Chronicle and Vindicator. Write him at epuskas@tribtoday.com.