first they come for the….
Yes. Driving around while knee-walking drunk is dirty-BAD-worng, m’kay?
That out of the way, let’s discuss the step-by-step intrusion into our lives of the Safety Police.
First, the steady downward progression of the “legal limit” of Blood Alcohol Content while driving. Why didn’t they start with 0.0? Because the public would have balked — and rightly so.
Next the whole silly “hands-free” cell fone devices. With piles and piles of “studies” proving it’s not the hands — it’s the conversation. They gonna make a sound-proof booth for the driver so no one will “conversate” with them?
What about the drive-time raadio industry?!?
Now, here they come again:
An AA Insurance survey of motorists in January found eating while driving was ranked the 8th biggest distraction behind the wheel.
…DANGERS
* 44 per cent slower reactions while eating
* 26.5 per cent slower reactions using a hands-free phone
* 22 per cent slower reactions if consuming a soft drink
* 12.5 per cent slower reactions having drunk the legal limit
…”It comes down to a level of judgment, and a level of appropriateness. It might be okay to eat an apple, it might be okay to smoke a cigarette, but it wouldn’t be okay to roll a cigarette while driving.
…AA motoring affairs manager Mike Noon said although using a handheld phone was not allowed, it would not be realistic to ban eating.
Aw c’mon. Given those “statistics” above, how could you NOT ban eating while driving?!?
Seriously — let’s just make one penalty for screwing up without regard to the reasons behind the screw up. …or the thoughts.
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Does the kind of cigarette you’re rolling make a difference?
“Drinking and driving is something you can’t do well unless you practice.”
– Sam Kinison
Every out of town trip I make starts with a sausage/egg McMuffin while driving. My wife unwraps and salt and peppers it, then I eat. Distracted? I think not.
That’s what ‘knee driving’ is for…rolling cigarettes, unwrapping sandwiches and so on. Admittedly harder to do if you have a stick shift but it can be done, just try to find a straight stretch of road. My sister used to finish dressing and putting on her makeup while driving, never had an accident.
Some people are just too stupid to walk and chew gum at the same time so it stands to reason they can’t drive worth a crap no matter what they are or aren’t doing.
Next,
they’ll have to ban cup holders in new cars,
and cigarette lighters,
and stereos,
and passenger seats.
You know, cars.
You don’t need new laws, Darwin always applies.
Of course, there will be collateral;
but that’s a good thing, according to envirowackos.
I’ve been one hell of a lot more distracted than any of that while behind the wheel of a car, and I made it out alive.
Fortunately the missus outgrew that more adventurous phase of her life, my reflexes aren’t what they used to be.
I thought there was already a penalty for inattentive driving.
Must need another law.
They’re just working their way up to banning driving while driving.
People would be so much easier to control if they weren’t so damned *mobile*.
That is why a breakfast burrito is preferable to hot soup.
Merovign, They are still working on “self-driving” (government controlled cars
Some years back, I passed a woman who had the rear view mirror cocked so she could look directly into it, flossing her teeth while steering with her elbows.
Texas has a law that makes it a crime to fail to control your vehicle on a public road. Yet we also have these same laws that forbid specific actions that MAY cause one to be distracted. It’s all about control and revenue.
I used to eat all the time, during rush hour in Los Angeles, without my hands on the wheel. At 12,000 ft, on autopilot in a Beechcraft……
^ColJ
You weren’t the guy, a few years back, who put his big RV bus on cruise control then went back to the kitchen thinking it was on autopilot, were ya?
We’re just lucky they let us drive at all. If cars were a recent invention, what are the odds they’d let any more people drive than in North Korea?
Nah Doug. That was a Reserve USAF C5A pilot. Fighter planes don`t got no *kitchen*…………..