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 McDonalds 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 cant just go down the road eating a hamburger.
According to the ticket, the officer wrote him up under Georgias 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 didnt expect to be fined or punished, Madison said.
If this was the law, Id 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.
Ive only seen something like this charge when theres 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 werent 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.
I haven’t been there in years. I have family living in a subdivision off Canton Road but IIRC it runs through a residential area. It was a two lane slower traffic road not a highway.
That’s true. In fact, if this guy had been munching on a regular cheeseburger he probably could have mounted a pretty good legal defense based in that fact. Most sensible judges would find such evidence totally exculpatory.
At one time, they might have been because there were more idiots with burgers than idiots with cell phones. Now, I’m not so sure. I see a lot more with cell phones, so maybe it is a matter of incidents per thousand or something. I don’t recall the last time I saw someone in traffic eating, but I see the one-handers on the cell phone constantly.
I also do not have a car with bluetooth. I use a little bluetooth headset that fits over one ear. The headset connects to the phone. If I am out running errands, I always have it on in case my wife calls. Also, if I know I'm going to be on the phone for awhile I wear it so I can keep my hands free.
Shine them good now boy.
But, in those “Good Olde Days” we were allowed to have “Hairy Knobs “ on the steering wheel. Left hand driving, right on date! Pis_ed at the guy who invented center-consoles.
Also loved Blue Dot taillights and Lake Pipes!
Those were, The Days!
This is another one of those "Good King / Bad King" laws that the Constitution tried to protect us from on a national level.
You are dependent upon the good will of the enforcers - or their need to meet their quota.
What next?
Ha!!
Try a taco driving a stick in dress clothes.
Or changing into a baseball uniform on the freeway.
(including a cup)
Not that I would know anything about that.
sorry don’t get out much, FTTW???
:)
Asking a question generates an immediate attempt by you to insult me? Where did that come from? I didn't attack you, we never exchanged posts but you jump in with a snarky insult.
I watch my city's budgets to keep an eye on government. I would think FReepers would be doing the same, you know, don't trust government, watch them closely. Surely you do this as well. It's the American thing to do but you insult me for watching my city's budget and commenting I find no budget entry for tickets for the PD? This makes your attempted insult to be astonishingly out of place, adds nothing and makes no sense.
With no posting between you and me, you immediately go for the juvenile insults as your first post to me because I asked a question?
You have a choice:
a) give in to your compelling childish need to have the last word and rant back with another insult or. . .
b) let it go, be a man, recognize you attacked for no cause and proved you have a level of hatred/anger that is by adult measure, irrational.
I'm betting your childish immaturity and irrational anger wins. Prove me wrong. I dare you.
Classic!
(Who says you can’t steer with your feet?)
Said as a blanket comment. In my city this is not the case. I have never found in the many cities where I've lived any crossing of tickets and funding for the PD.
Thanks for pointing out some places that do and I find that quit a conflict of interest and imagine any good civil attorney would be eager to take that on.
Currently, I am on two of my city's advisory boards and both work closely with the Financial Services Department and the City Managers office. I have participated in budget hearings and never was a discussion regarding ticket revenue addressed. It was simply never accounted for in the budgeting process. Taxes and fees were the basis for the budget.
Of course, where I've lived we were pretty much conservative and responsible.
Any questions?
C’mon.
I asked because in my experience I've never seen.
Good man.
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