RCMP warn that you can be fined for eating while driving
Is eating or drinking while driving against the law?
In a fast-paced society, breakfast, lunch or dinner is often eaten from behind the wheel rather than at the dining room table. There aren’t many Canadians who can say that they’ve never taken a bite out of a sandwich or a sip from a can of soda while driving, and if they haven’t, virtually everyone has at least seen this type of multitasking being performed.
Recently, a Wheels.ca reader posed a question to some of the automotive experts at Wheels.ca where they witnessed a motorist swerving in their lane. The swerving driver was in fact, snacking on something with one hand while trying to navigate the road with the other.
The question they posed to Eric Lai is whether eating and driving was something that a motorist could receive a ticket for doing.
RCMP warn that you can be fined for eating while driving
Motorists routinely pull up at a drive-through Wendy’s or McDonald’s, buy a burger and fries, and wolf them down on their way to their next destination.
But they had better be careful the next time.
That’s because biting into the food will not only expand their waistline, it could also fatten the public treasury.
In a tweet this morning, B.C. RCMP’s traffic gendarmes declared that eating a bowl of soup amounts to driving without due care.
Not only is this worthy of a $368 fine, it adds six points to your driving record.
That’s not the only way the cops are picking motorists’ pockets.
Earlier this year, Georgia Straight legal columnist Sarah Leamon revealed that police can fine drivers for simply having a cellphone sitting on the seat beside them within grabbing distance.
“And before reaching for that phone at a red light to check your messages, think again,” Leamon advised in her article. “Being stopped in an intersection is no defence to distracted driving. The only exceptions to the rules are if you are pulled over in a safe and lawful manner, out of the way of traffic, or if you are contacting emergency services like fire or ambulance.”
Article extracted from: Straight
