Posted on 01/19/2015 7:19:26 AM PST by BobNative
COBB COUNTY, Ga. — An Alabama man says he was cited by Cobb County police for “eating while driving” under the distracted driving law.
Madison Turner said he ordered a double quarter pounder with cheese from McDonald’s last week, and a police officer pulled him over, along Canton Road in Marietta.
“The officer explained to me that he observed me eating a burger for 2 miles,” Madison said. “He said specifically three times, you can’t just go down the road eating a hamburger.”
According to the ticket, the officer wrote him up under Georgia’s distracted driving law, and under the comments sections wrote “eating while driving.”
That law reads, in part: “A driver shall exercise due care in operating a motor vehicle on the highways of this state and shall not engage in any actions which shall distract such driver from the safe operation of such vehicle.”
“Maybe I was enjoying the burger too much I needed to tone it down. I was certainly willing to do so but I didn’t expect to be fined or punished,” Madison said.
“If this was the law, I’d have to hire more attorneys because everybody does it including me,” said William Head, a longtime traffic and DUI attorney, who is not representing Turner.
“I’ve only seen something like this charge when there’s an accident. There was no accident here so the fact that this man was charged with eating and driving is a first for me,” Head said. Head added that law was very vague.
“Maybe if you had a giant pizza in both hands and you weren’t holding the wheel or maybe if you had a watermelon, half watermelon and you were just diving into it holding it with both hands, maybe that would be something,” Head said.
A spokesperson for Cobb County police said they could not comment, since the case is ongoing. Madison has a court date on Feb. 3.
Selective excerpt:
“He said specifically three times, you can’t just go down the road eating a hamburger.”......
Madison said. “He said specifically three times, you can’t just go down the road eating a hamburger.”
Ramen being the very worst.
For the cell phone user (texting,voicing,browsing):
"I don't drive with my brain"
A guy drove past me a couple of years ago playing a trumpet.
Yes. He was driving and PLAYING A TRUMPET.
Double QP Jammin’ fries with a beer steering with my knee. Good times huh? I do draw the line at ketchup. Its a no no.
In a perfect world this would still be used to determine who is worthy of the "privilege" of driving on public roadways. Perhaps add in backhanding an unruly child in the back seat at the same time too.
Traffic tickets are about making an income for the LEOs who are constantly driving around violating the same laws they are writing tickets for.
It takes a special kind of person to do that.
Pasta is a bit tricky.
These have been real distractions for people forever. Include in the list putting on makeup.
A local funeral home has a commercial that starts showing a woman driving who is applying lipstick and then cuts to show her car in one lane and a hearse in the other. The point made is something along the line of don’t do this or we might be buying your makeup for you.
There are all kinds of distractions around us when driving. To handle them all we’ll be forced to drive by ourselves, no kids or passengers, no food, music, smokes, or any other object in the car with us, probably naked.
I’m thinking that eating a taco would be the most distracting.
(Yes, that can be read multiple ways).
I heard a caller to a NJ radio station talking about the crazy things she’d see on her commute. She said she once saw someone making a salad while they were driving.
I believe you. Got behind a Caddy that was all over the road while on my bike. Finally passed the guy and looked over. He had sheet music on the dash and was playing a harmonica and steering with his elbows.
Not if you leave part of the stalk on - then ya got yourself a handle and can drink your beer at the same time.
At least it was a burger and not corn on the Cobb...
Saw a cop this morning. Flashing lights on, but driving the speed limit on a nearly empty street. As she approached the intersection (she had the green), she turned off her flashers.
Then, after going through the intersection, she turned the flashers back on, then made a U-turn, followed by an illegal left turn from the right lane through the intersection she had just passed a minute ago. Didn’t speed off either, just keep going the speed limit.
Now, if that isn’t distracted and reckless driving, I don’t know what is.
I’ve seen people in Houston doing everything from applying makeup, shaving and reading a book in traffic.
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