Man Cited For 'Eating While Driving' In Cobb County, Georgia...

a reply to: hounddoghowlie

I live in ATL and trust me - eating while driving is the least problem on the road. When they make the roadways safe from texters, speeders, road ragers, car-jackers and unsecured, airborne construction equipment, then they can worry about the burger-eaters.

So there is a law about distracted driving, and it seems it all depends on how the dude was driving. Guess the court will decide. Until then...another molehill-mountain topic for people to get indignant, alarmed, outraged about. Yawns.


a reply to: kosmicjack
Too true. But again, it depends on what he did along with.

Every flipping day I have to drive to work I wish the cops would give out MORE tickets to distracted people doing makeup, shaving, eating, reading emails, typing emails, and generally just not getting their asses in gear fast enough when the light changes.

Where do you drive that it's actually possible to speed in Atlanta? My average MPH is about 15. LOL

a reply to: kosmicjack

been going to atlanta area all my life use to live there when real young in smyrna . got family scattered all over ga most now live in the donalsonville area now. i can remember when i was a kid up till about 5 years ago, and traffic has done nothing but get worse.

If you get a bag of food and sit on the side of the road to eat it ,you will probably get a ticket for being parked illegally. It's conditioning. And it's going to get worse

originally posted by: kosmicjack
Where will it stop? It won't.

You know, in Mississippi, ANYONE can write a traffic citation. It's one of those oddball laws. I'm not sure if that's so in other states in the south, but one of my uncles used to stroke them left and right.

But if it were a common thing, it would be fast work to swamp the system with the cites you could write cops and their families. NO ONE drives as badly as an offduty cop, unless it's their teenage kids.

I've always been surprised it didn't catch on as a method of payback.

originally posted by: ~Lucidity

Every flipping day I have to drive to work I wish the cops would give out MORE tickets to distracted people doing makeup, shaving, eating, reading emails, typing emails...

...using the computers in their cars to look up plates, using the car radio to ask questions, using their cell phones so the questions won't be recorded for evidence, etc.

Why aren't the cops dinged for the same thing? It's not like they do the Bondurant course at Camp Peary to give them special ability.

Don't get me wrong, I think there are things you ought never do while rolling, but using a computer would be one.

OTOH, the few times I eat or drink on the road, it doesn't take my eyes off the road like texting, dialing, looking up plates, shaving (whatever that is). I think eating is in a different class than texting unless you start farting around with it in the other seat or something.

a reply to: Bedlam

Exactly. They can look up our plates on a computer while driving but we can't so much as turn the radio station as defined by the previous poster's link with the definition of "distracted driving".

One rule for them....and an entirely different (and far more restrictive) rule for us.

There are loads that I run that require eating while driving. We have to take a 30 minute break, but by the time we take the dogs out, get inside, use the bathroom, and get food, we've burned over 20 minutes of it at least.

When you're on a run that plans out at 46 hours driving time, and you've got 47 hours to get there, you bet your ass I'm eating while driving.

a reply to: Bedlam
Yawn.

wow...we must have a lot of drivers ed instructors on ATS. Because i don't know a single person who doesn't eat/drink while driving. Even in Oklahoma, where its actually illegal. Not even coffee.

Me? If i drive to San Antonio, you can bet your ass I am going to grab me some ribs in Junction at Cooper's. Then you will see me driving 85-90 down I-10 eating my ribs and drinking my coffee.

Dont even get me started on stories about eating take out sushi while driving.

There was once a time when it would considered unAmerican to pass laws to prevent what might happen.

originally posted by: generik

originally posted by: TrueBrit

a reply to: lovebeck



I have mixed feelings on this.



On the one hand, I believe that drivers should have both hands on the wheel when the vehicle is in motion, and that food, where available, should be taken either in the fast food joints parking lot, or at the side of a road somewhere. On the other hand, it would be fair enough to sup a bottle of water at the wheel, because one can sip that, and put it down after a couple of mouthfuls, reducing the amount of time ones hands are away from the controls, and maintaining ones hydration levels.

you don't need "two hands on the wheel" to drive. one is enough. now in poor sloppy conditions like snow, rain, slush and high winds i prefer to keep both hands on the wheel, but it is not needed for most driving. if two hands were needed on the wheel, why is it legal to drive a standard transmission which requires one hand to be frequently off the wheel to change gears. why have so many controls like horns, windshield wipers, lights, mirrors, defrost, heating/aircon, hazard lights, windows, turn signals, manual and automatic transmissions, emergency brakes, etc been mounted in such a way that you need to remove a hand (and for many people it also requires them to look at it) to operate them? also why are people who only have one usable hand allowed to operated a motor vehicle? or require someone else there to be able to lend a hand like here where if you are hearing disabled you must have someone with unimpaired hearing with you (yes that is one possible condition marked on my licence like "must wear corrective lenses")? you know many of us drove safely for years while talking on CB radios, eating, drinking, smoking, talking on cellphones, etc. i can understand not being able to text as that tends to require constant looking down at it. but for the rest? heck it takes no concentration to do something like eat. even glancing down occasionally is not an issue, since you are supposed to be able to do that anyway to check your instruments for warnings and speed, as well as checking mirrors and such. but why is it now with cars built so much better in regards to controlling it, has it become such a safety concern? seriously if you can't drive with one hand, likely you can't drive any better with two, or your vehicle has some serious safety concerns and shouldn't be on the road.

The hearing impaired must have a hearing person with them while driving? I've never heard of that and I'm hearing impaired. I've also read that those with hearing disabilities are better drivers because they're more alert to their surroundings.

What state do you live in?

I have been guilty of eating while driving. Well, actually, I eat at the stoplights not while I'm in motion. Does this count? I do it rarely, but I spend so much time on the road sometimes it's really hard not to.

The fast food lobby should pay to mount a vigorous defense of this driver.

originally posted by: ~Lucidity
a reply to: Bedlam
Yawn.

Better not drive doing that, unless you're a cop.

originally posted by: Domo1

Eating a burger while driving is dangerous.

someone please make this idiocy stop. what is WRONG with everybody? will you only feel safe when every possible risk in everyday life is controlled by legislation and enforced by threat of punishment?

a reply to: lovebeck

we have laws like that here in the uk , the last one that i can remember was a young woman was fined for eating an apple

whilst she was in a traffic queue waiting for the lights to change .

Distracted driving is on par with drunk driving.

We can rabble rabble about it all day but the stats back it up.

Eat before you drive and you won't have to worry about it.

a reply to: Sremmos80

You do when you're driving up to 11 hours at a time with very little time to stop.

[nanny-state]
I'd feel fortunate not to get ticketed for chewing gum while driving.
[/nanny-state]

Anything can be called distracted driving unless two hands are on the wheel and two eyes are on the road.

Oh,look... shiny thing in the sky!

a reply to: Zaphod58

Are you talking like a trucker?

Cause I know they aren't not going thru drive thrus so they have to stop and get out of their truck to go in somewhere.

If the chase for money is more important then the safety of every one else on the road then I guess it's ok is the point you are making there?

www.bisociety.org...
This is more aimed at texting but it is the same idea.