New Jersey really cracking down on "distracted driving"...

[mjr]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/onl...gcO?li=BBnb7Kz

It's not specifically related to coffee, but:

"any activity unrelated to the actual operation of a motor vehicle in a manner that interferes with the safe operation of the vehicle on a public road or highway."

Does this include listening to the radio? You can get distracted by that, right?

[TheHuckster]

I'm not sure of the statistics (or whether they even exist) on distracted driving that doesn't involve cellphones. I do know anecdotally through news stories or my own friends' experiences that people have gotten in accidents by tuning their radio, dealing with a misbehaving child in the back seat, or even trying to decypher a vanity license plate, so it's not much of a stretch that one can be just as distracted by eating and drinking while driving.

If I'm drinking (non-alcoholic beverages) while driving, I always keep my eyes on the road, and do it only when I'm not in heavy traffic or have to execute especially cautious maneuvers like changing lanes or turning in an intersection.

And, of course, there are far worse distractions I've seen on the road, including texting, of course. I've also seen people holding video cameras, reading books and newspapers, applying lipstick and combing hair, tying ties, and doing a bunch of other stuff that is clearly dangerous and should be outlawed. I wouldn't be surprised if something was already in the books for that kind of distracted driving.

[Greenday]

Distracted driving is already a crime in NJ.

/thread

[AccountingDrone]

If I'm drinking (non-alcoholic beverages) while driving, I always keep my eyes on the road, and do it only when I'm not in heavy traffic or have to execute especially cautious maneuvers like changing lanes or turning in an intersection.

I drink coffee with a straw ... much less trouble than dicking around with drinking out of a variously shaped hole in a lid. I actually keep a package of straws in my glove box - the bendy style.