BLOOMINGTON - Spilled coffee has cost restaurant chains millions in lawsuits, and it could be costing you on your auto insurance bill.

According to the classic-car insurer Hagerty Classic Insurance of Michigan, coffee is the most distracting treat to consume while on the road, trailed closely by soup and tacos.

Whether from slopping down a jelly-filled doughnut on the way to work or sharing the latest gossip over a cell phone, distracted driving has surpassed excessive speed as the leading cause of accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

And the nation's auto insurers are watching.

"It's hard to make a direct correlation between distractions and insurance rates. So many things impact rates. Your past (accident) history is certainly one of the factors," said Jay Verner, a spokesman for Country Insurance & Financial Services.

"Accidents are caused by two main actions: excessive speed and distraction. Our claims people are telling us a larger number of auto claims are distracted-driving related," Verner said. "That's not to say we're seeing more claims. Distracted driving is just taking up a larger piece of the pie."

To raise awareness, Country Financial launched the Just Drive campaign in 2001, realizing driver distraction was a growing problem. Through the program, Country Financial has distributed more than 3,000 videos and 50,000 brochures to parents and schools, Verner said. Materials are available from Country Financial agents.

Like its crosstown neighbor, Bloomington-based State Farm Insurance Cos. said distracted driving doesn't necessarily boost the cost of insurance. But accidents do, and distracted drivers are causing more accidents.

"Certainly it's something we're interested in. Certainly we look at those trends," said spokeswoman Mia Jazo-Harris.

Eating and smoking used to be drivers' major distractions, but technology is now the biggest distraction, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which researches driving trends for State Farm and other insurers.

And in some cases, technology has amplified traditional distractions. Ever see anyone on the interstate eating a sandwich while talking on the cell phone?

"We've found that people using a cell phone are four times more likely to be involved in a serious crash. The risk is the same for handheld phones as hands-free phones. The conversation itself is the distraction," said Russ Rader, institute spokesman.

At this point, cell-phone use is the only topic the institute has researched.

The institute plans to take a closer look at other driving distractions in the future, Rader said, particularly the use of digital navigation screens, DVD players and portable music players.