Last week, we heard a news byte about Troy, Michigan. Apparently, you can no longer eat and drive in that town. Husband was a little bent out of shape over that news and commented, "The residents should take their tax dollars and move!" The fact that he eats a banana and a breakfast bar on his way to work every morning probably had to do with his ire, rather than the low probability of him ever driving through Troy.I wonder where the line is drawn............are you allowed to sip from a water bottle while driving in Troy? How about chewing gum?
The suburb next to us doesn't allow cell phone use while driving. Not just texting; you aren't allowed to talk on a phone while in the driver's seat, bluetooth or not. I'm not sure what the difference is between a phone conversation and yakking it up with your passengers, but I don't make the laws, I just follow them.
Frankly, I'm more concerned about those who have a concealed carry in their glove compartment than I am over a person eating McDonald's fries. But maybe that's just me?
Remember, Troy is the same town that decided patrons at Hooters would not be able to buy beer (or any alcoholic beverages) while enjoying their hot wings.
ReplyDeleteThey're just being fun governors, like smaller, more petty versions of the ones in Washington D.C.
Well, I've been known to sip on a cup of coffee whilst driving (for which the auto manufacturer helpfully provided me with a cup-holder), and also to engage in the occasional cell-phone call. I tried eating a burrito once, but quickly found that unwrapping it, once I'd eaten down to the 'wrapper line' was more demanding of my concentration and manual dexterity than I'd initially thought.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of common sense in such matters. If I'm alone on a sparsely-travelled rural freeway, in clear-and-dry conditions, one-handed driving while on my cell phone isn't a very big deal. But amp up the demands with weather and/or traffic, and I'll just leave the phone put away, or pull over if I really need to make a call. . .
But the guys who are trying to handle their Whoppers (with the required two hands), whilst steering with the heels of their hands (and letting go completely when they take a bite) on a busy four-lane road, are putting their fellow-motorists in more danger than they ought to. . . (And Troy is a bustling suburb of Detroit, with pretty heavy traffic, for the most part, during the work day. . .)
I was once driving on I-94 (the main interstate between Detroit and Chicago, so it's almost always pretty busy), next to a woman who was applying her eye makeup at 80 mph. THAT gave me the willies. . .
How about putting on makeup while driving? Is that safe? I do that while driving. You know, just a bit of blush and lipstick.
ReplyDeleteEric - I am not familiar with Troy, so didn't know its background. Fun place!
ReplyDeleteCraig - I didn't want to go into a long diatribe about the govt taking away our right to common sense in these matters, but that is really what I was trying to get across.
FTN - I'd still rather be behind someone with a mascara wand than a handgun.
I'm not so worried about the ccw in the car next to me, the bimbette texting her bff worries me far more.
ReplyDeleteIt does sound as though Troy is one big nanny town (as opposed to the nanny state, but that is another topic).
Every afternoon on my way home from work, I eat an apple. I eat that apple while, from time to time, and depending on how the mood hits me, singing along with a song on the radio, which is probably turned up louder than it should be. I do these things because I'm operating a vehicle with a certain degree of common sense, and that is where I wish we could operate from. To think of the time and money spent by a governing body making these laws, and the money and time spent by a government agency enforcing them, is silliness.
ReplyDeleteRuss - Really?? I can outrun (drive) someone who isn't paying attention to the road. I can't outrun a road rager with a weapon.
ReplyDeleteFADKOG - Exactly!! I'm waiting for the ban on radios.....
I've been shoved almost into a guard rail by a woman applying make-up. Run off the road by a woman on a cell phone. Been rear-ended by a guy drinking his coffee. Or wearing it. Whatever.
ReplyDeleteNever had a close call with someone eating, though I can imagine it happening. But I've never ever witnessed or heard of anyone brandishing a gun locally as part of a purely automotive altercation. But maybe that's just a side effect of the neighborhood I call home?
You're right, of course - you can't outlaw every distraction. Likewise, though, I can understand where a person who lost somebody they loved to somebody who couldn't control their car properly because of the Big Mac in their right hand wouldn't quit campaigning until a law got passed.
ReplyDeleteEating and driving can be a problem, I have trembled in fear as my wife munched on a Jack In The Box Taco while swerving down the highway, I was happy the guy with the gun couldn't get a true aim on our van due to the swerving and after all the lettuce and taco meat finally steeled and hit the rug, Cindy didn't see what I was all upset about.
ReplyDeleteSome laws are good and others are a big waste of our tax dollars I agree with you.
I'm with Craig on this. In certain situations, you need all your attention on the road. There are times, in bad weather or sketchy situations where I've told my kids/passengers to not talk cause I need to focus. (extreme situations, but it has happened) On the other hand, I have been known to drive with a coffee in one hand -- the one that's controlling the steering wheel -- and be talking with my cell on speakerphone (holding it in my hand that is shifting). Clearly a totally different situation. Possibly not the absolute best idea; but it has happened.
ReplyDeleteFor the most part, in traffic, I will bump calls and let voicemail take them. No one needs me that urgently and I've often got "precious cargo" in the back seat. I will never text while driving. (which sounds like a no-brainer, but you wouldn't believe how many people do.)
Our province recently passed a law that cell phone usage in a vehicle is illegal (bluetooth is not, and speakerphone is kinda a grey area, I think). The cops are kinda creative with sniffing out infractions. The latest was posing as panhandlers on the street corners and intersection boulevards. Sneaky. You gotta appreciate that.
X - A few years ago, an angry driver began shooting out the tires of the mother of his child on the interstate, two miles from my home. He lost control of his car and it flipped and rolled and landed on top of a car in oncoming traffic, instantly killing that driver. College daughter was driving three cars behind the man who was killed. It can happen anywhere.
ReplyDeleteTatty - You are right; anyone suffering a loss of a loved one would feel the same way.
Jimmy - It does seem like a waste of money when they worry about the small things instead of the bigger issues.
Flutter - In bad weather, I always turn off the radio and tell my kids I can't talk and they can't talk either. It happens around here more often than you'd think! Like last week.
I can't cite it for you because I don't remember where I saw this article, but there is some research that shows that talking on a phone is indeed more hazardous than talking to a passenger. Something about attentional blindness and not be able to pay attention to cues you need for driving. And as much as we may not like having our freedoms infringed upon, accident rates do go up when you try to so just about anything else when you drive.
ReplyDeleteAgent - As a matter of fact, I did see some research about that topic in 'The Invisible Gorilla' that stated the reason is because passengers have the effect of aiding the driver in driving. Of course, that is only true if your passenger is an adult aged driver and is actually paying attention to the road.
ReplyDeleteMcDonald's was perfect for eating in the car since the burgers were very compact. Burger King didn't work so great since the buns were more flappy and the burgers were generally more wide. If Taco Bell was eaten expect to have half of it fall on your lap. Yes, I did all of these in high school
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