New Bill Will Make Drinking Coffee While Driving a Criminal Act

ThingsThatSuck ^

[Java4Jay]

“Violators could face a $200 to $400 fine for the first offense and a $400 to $600 fine for a second offense. A third or subsequent offense could mean a fine of $600 to $800 and up to a 90 day license suspension, as well as motor vehicle points,” according to nj.com.

[null and void]

With your screen name, I can see why this would be of particular interest to you...

[jsanders2001]

< NJ says “Challenge Accepted !”

Coffee today, chocolate tomorrow. Of course we know liberals always write laws for everybody else not themselves. I can already guess what the authors of the bill look like. In fact I'll look them up right now and post it to see if I'm right. I'm as sure of it as knowing its an Amish when a convenience store gets robbed.

[jsanders2001]

Both Democrat sponsors. I'll just let the photos speak for themselves:

John Wisniewski

Nicholas Chiaravalotti

[jsanders2001]

Chiaravalotti needs to understand that donuts can be equally distracting...

[Bigg Red]

A few years ago, while we were on a tour bus near Washington, D.C., we got caught up in sluggish commuter traffic. The height of the bus allowed us to see into many cars. The number of drivers we saw who were reading or texting was astounding.

[jsanders2001]

Hey Chiavaralotti:

[Celerity]

Don’t forget Jim Florio and his “Uncooked eggs waiver”.

[xzins]

That is stupid.

McDonalds, Starbucks, and every drive through restaurant in America will fight this with all they’ve got.

It’s absolutely ignorant, over-bearing government intrusion!

[Sooth2222]

"Or just make BMW cup holder designs mandatory."

I have yet to master the art of driving a stick shift and drinking coffee at the same time. I think I need an extra arm. The nearest BMW cup holder is, however, in the perfect place to mount a GPS.

(If the state wanted to outlaw automatic transmissions I'd be all in favor of it. But this is just stupid, even for New Jersey.)

[bert]

knes man......use your knees

[dfwgator]

What’s the penalty for changing the radio station while driving?

[dfwgator]

She’s got nothing on Mr. Bean.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNV0mc_cpQ0

[MD Expat in PA]

One day I was driving southbound on I-95 between White Marsh and Baltimore during rush hour (and although heavy, traffic was still going about 65 MPH) and I saw in my rear view mirror that the woman behind me was flossing her teeth. Yes. Flossing her teeth - using both hands and looking in her rear view mirror while doing so. The only reason I saw what she was doing so clearly was that she was tailgating me, and by tail gaiting, I mean pretty much riding right up on my bumper at the time.

Another time, also on I-95 between Baltimore and DC, a guy passed me but was nearly still in my lane when he did, he came close to sideswiping me, and when I looked over he was eating what appeared to be a bowl of ramen noodles with chop sticks. And no. He was not Asian. I also saw a guy with a newspaper spread out over his steering wheel on that same stretch of I-95, merrily driving in the center lane at +65MPH while reading his newspaper.

Not long ago I was stopped a red light and as I observed in my rear view as she nearly ran into me, the woman behind me was using tweezers to pluck her eyebrows and other facial hair like on her chin. That we were stopped was not the problem but that she kept doing so after the light turned green and we started moving was more than a bit “concerning”.

And don’t even get me started on the people who have their faces buried in their smartphones while driving. It can wait.

From this article:

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/08/05/nj-driving-while-eating/

Wisniewski clarified that he is not hoping to crack down on drivers drinking various beverages specifically, but that putting cream in your coffee while driving or stirring it is a different story.

That actually makes some sense and makes this sound not quite as crazy as it is perhaps made out to be.

I have drunk coffee and soda and water while driving. But I also recall going through a drive through at a Burger King one time to get a cup of coffee on my way to work and I asked for two creams and two sweeteners and was given two of those creamer cups and several packets of sweetener along with my coffee. I pulled over and stopped while still in the parking lot in order to take the lid off my coffee cup, adding the creamer, the sweetener and stirring it and then putting the lid back on before getting on the road. Doing that while driving would have been both stupid and dangerous IMO.

The same goes for eating while driving. It’s something I admit to having done, but I have to also admit that it is or can be a distraction – driving down the highway, reaching into a bag of McDonalds, pulling out the hamburger, trying to unwrap it while driving and without it falling apart and eating it without the grease and condiments dripping and getting all over the car and my clothes; and the French fries – not perhaps so bad unless you’re are trying to open those little ketchup packs and dipping your fries into them while driving.

There is something to be said for “keep your eyes on the road, your hand upon the wheel”. Even a druggie like Jim Morrison seemed to know that. : )

[IYAS9YAS]

Wisniewski clarified that he is not hoping to crack down on drivers drinking various beverages specifically, but that putting cream in your coffee while driving or stirring it is a different story.

The problem is, they already have laws on the books for that. It's called inattentive or distracted driving.

There's no reason to create new laws. Cell-phones, eating, drinking, applying make-up, etc..., are all covered under distracted driving.

[MD Expat in PA]

The problem is, they already have laws on the books for that. It's called inattentive or distracted driving. There's no reason to create new laws. Cell-phones, eating, drinking, applying make-up, etc..., are all covered under distracted driving.

I agree with you. And I also hate the idea of expanding or creating new laws. I was just pointing out that this proposed legislation doesn’t sound quite as draconian as the article makes it sound.

But from what I understand, under most current state laws and specifically in NJ, if a police officer observes distracting driving (aside from using a cell phone where it is illegal), but he has not observed the driver driving dangerously (yet). i.e. driving erratically, drifting in and out of lanes, etc., the officer has no reason to pull them over, and unless I am wrong, the driver can only be charged/ticketed with distracted driving if there is an accident or a moving violation as a result, after the fact.

Of course, it would be much better if people just used common sense. The problem is not people simply drinking coffee or water or soda while driving but doing things while driving that truly distracts them - texting being the biggest cause and or using their smart phones to post on social media and now, most recently playing Pokemon Go.

Applying makeup or doing their hair (or tweezing their eyebrows) or reading a newspaper or a map or in some cases eating (eating ramen noodles with chop sticks for instance) are also stupid things to do while driving. It seems that some people are always in a hurry and are trying to multi-task while driving. The solution is to get up earlier and do those things at home and not behind the wheel of a car.

[TexasTransplant]

Two Punchable faces ... especially the bottom one

[M Kehoe]

Pimples on an elephants ass.

5.56mm

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

I did see this reported on FOX this morning.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

As I said up-thread.

Leo can’t tell what’s in the mug. It’s a “backdoor law” to catch impaired drivers.