Monday 12th March 2007

Sandwich lands driver in a pickle

£60 fine for not being in full control

---

Sarnie almost as bad...?

Eating a cheese and pickle sandwich while driving resulted in motorist Keith Pemberton being pulled over and booked by police officers at a roadside checkpoint on the A49 in Cheshire.

He was fined £60 and got three points on his licence after being convicted of not being in full control of the car.

Pemberton told the BBC: "They said I had not been in proper control of my car, but it's not as if I was swerving all over the road or driving badly."

The Cheshire police said: "The officer was right to give this driver a ticket. He cannot have had full control of his vehicle if he was eating a sandwich at the same time."

Road safety campaign Safe Speed said: "Cases like this illustrate the gulf between official and real road safety. It is vital that drivers are in proper control of their vehicles, but proper control is a state of mind, not a simple matter of what drivers are doing with their hands.

"The problem is that driving is largely a subconscious and highly skilled activity. The authorities can't see it or define it, so instead they seize upon what they can see.

"Eating a sandwich while driving can be safe or dangerous. It depends on the circumstances and what the driver is paying attention to.

"Road safety is in a very bad way - the authorities need to move away from their over-simplified dogma and start asking skilled drivers what is safe and what is not. The gap is enormous."

[jon-]

Drop some Tomato on your lap, look down, drift into the oncoming lane while trying to retrieve the lost veg, kill 2 children being taken to school in a old people carrier.

There's no excuse for risking others lives.

Edit: Before people start I know the tomato is technically a fruit but it's widely regarded as veg. I probably should have used lettuce...

Edited by jon- on Monday 12th March 11:38

[TECHNOPUG]

jon- said:

Drop some Tomato on your lap, look down, drift into the oncoming lane while trying to retrieve the lost veg, kill 2 children being taken to school in a old people carrier.

There's no excuse for risking others lives.

Edit: Before people start I know the tomato is technically a fruit but it's widely regarded as veg. I probably should have used lettuce...

Edited by jon- on Monday 12th March 11:38

Thinking about the girl/boy you met last night, mind wanders, drift into the oncoming lane while trying to retrieve their image in your mind, kill 2 children being taken to school in a old people carrier.

Clearly some kind or brain scanner is required to rid the road of these irresponsible risk takers.......time to don the foil hats......

[x332race]

I saw photos of Heather Mills using a camcorder whislt driving her car in the Daily Mail...I think it was last Fridays edition.....reproters said she also jumped a red traffic light....is she being prosocuted?..I think not....but her actions far more dangerous than someone eating a sandwich. www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a43717/mills-spotted-filming-whilst-driving.html


I find this legislation confusing....it seems to be ok to smoke a cigarette whilst driving, but not to eat a snack. Cup holders are provided to most new vehicles, but is it actually dangerous to drink (non-alcoholic) when driving??

Edited by x332race on Monday 12th March 11:58

[jon-]

TECHNOPUG said:

jon- said:

Drop some Tomato on your lap, look down, drift into the oncoming lane while trying to retrieve the lost veg, kill 2 children being taken to school in a old people carrier.

There's no excuse for risking others lives.

Edit: Before people start I know the tomato is technically a fruit but it's widely regarded as veg. I probably should have used lettuce...

Edited by jon- on Monday 12th March 11:38

Thinking about the girl/boy you met last night, mind wanders, drift into the oncoming lane while trying to retrieve their image in your mind, kill 2 children being taken to school in a old people carrier.

Clearly some kind or brain scanner is required to rid the road of these irresponsible risk takers.......time to don the foil hats......

While I agree in principle, that's a slightly different scenario IMO as it never physically takes your attention away from the road nor does it cause physical movement on something other than driving the car (ever reached to pick something up from the footwell only to find yourself drifting out of your lane?)

[events]

But it seems ok for an officer of the law to drink a coffee while driving!

I overtook a police car on the M4 and there was the driver sipping away at a drink while escorting some other vehicle. Would have taken a photo but I would have been in trouble grabbing for the phone while driving!

[TECHNOPUG]

True enough but if being prosecuted for taking one hand off the wheel to shovel a sandwich into your mouth, then surely every time you manually change gear you are also committing an offence?

It's all nonsense.

[twareham]

x332race said:

I find this legislation confusing....it seems to be ok to smoke a cigarette whilst driving, but not to eat a snack. Cup holders are provided to most new vehicles, but is it actually dangerous to drink (non-alcoholic) when driving??

Edited by x332race on Monday 12th March 11:58

This is a very fine point made here; I cannot believe that you can get busted for being on the phone or eating a sandwich when smoking in a car whilst not only damaging your own health is far more dangerous. What happens when some ash falls on your lap the last thing you are going to be doing is holding on to the steering wheel whilst your crotch is on fire...!

Also whilst we are on a rant speed cameras that take an average, you spend more time concentrating on making sure you are doing an average of 50 looking at the speedo that you end up driving in to the back of some idiot who is trying to average out his speed of 55-45 he keeps fluctuating between...

I got busted the other day in Tesco's car park for driving at 3mph on the mobile phone, I am just a little narked...!!!

[fwdracer]

Looking at the sat-nav as you are clueless f*cker that has no spatial awareness let alone sense of direction, drift into the oncoming lane while trying to look at/make sense of the screen in bright sunshine, kill 2 children being taken to school in a old people carrier.

:flame suit on:

There are more dangerous things than Cheese and Pickle sandwiches...

[madleee]

A sandwich will not start a vehicle fire.
Got your priorities wrong methinks, how about trying to solve the difficult crimes instead of going for the easy pickings?
Get uninsured motorists off the road.

Time to invent a hands free sandwich eating device...

[scol]

So what if I light up a cigarette and smoke that whilst driving, oddly enouh, guess that one slips under the radar because it generates way too much revenue. Personally I think that this is just as dangerous as eating, drinking or even using a phone all of which I could happily drop in my lap in case of an emercenty, not sure I would want to do that with a cigatette!. Apologies to the smokers out there, just making a point!

[Smoking Monkey]

Jon-, I hate to say it but you are an idiot and I feel more stupid for having read you post! Until a driver is completely cocooned and seperated from all other passengers you will never be able to devote your full attention to the process of driving. Don't patronise the site by claiming that you give 100% attention to driving 100% of the time. What about the time you were feeling rather warm so you reached down to adjust the air-con/open a window? Or when you looked in your rear view mirror at the car that was travelling a little too closely to your rear bumper? Or when the new Robbie Williams track was played on the radio so you decided to switch stations? Or even when your children were becoming unruly in the back and started to kick your seat? Or maybe when your wife told you that she had just bought yet another pair of shoes?

So, the solution is clear. 1 seat per car with no windows or stereo. This would reduce the size of the car and thereby reducing the space cars take up on the road (reducing congestion), it would also require a smaller engine which in turn would reduce their emissions (reducing pollution). I am a genius, now if only Tony and Gordon would see this and got me on board all would be well!

[sprinter885]

TECHNOPUG said:

True enough but if being prosecuted for taking one hand off the wheel to shovel a sandwich into your mouth, then surely every time you manually change gear you are also committing an offence?

It's all nonsense.

Beat me to the same thought....
Mind you I'm inclined to think a lot of traffic officers would be looking for some excuse to stop certain people - especially those looking a bit dumb/stupid/half asleep. How come "Sandwich man" didn't spot the cops first? I'd have dropped me butty if I'd seen plod anyway-just in case he was playing Mr Zealous".

[eddo]

I was hitching a lift home one night ,it must be 30 + years ago!!! A bloke in a Mini Cooper stopped for me, we were bombing along 115 on the speedo. I had noticed he was changing gear with his right hand and that the left arm of his jacket hung down and he hadnt moved it.
I asked him what was up with his arm, expecting him to say he had hurt it or something.
Imagine my shock when he said that he had lost it in a motorcycle accident a few years ago!! I wonder would he be able to drive today one handed?
Ed

Edited by eddo on Monday 12th March 12:49

[racingsnake]

If the sandwich was on wholemeal bread with low fat spread and proper branston pickle it sounds pretty safe to me.

I find the real danger is fish and chips whilst driving, they make the car smell and the steering wheel all greasy.
Original minis have a great shelf on the dash for holding chips.
Don't get me started on trying to open the little packet of ketchup whilst holding the choke out!

Edited by racingsnake on Monday 12th March 12:47

[jon-]

Smoking Monkey said:

Jon-, I hate to say it but you are an idiot and I feel more stupid for having read you post! Until a driver is completely cocooned and seperated from all other passengers you will never be able to devote your full attention to the process of driving. Don't patronise the site by claiming that you give 100% attention to driving 100% of the time. What about the time you were feeling rather warm so you reached down to adjust the air-con/open a window? Or when you looked in your rear view mirror at the car that was travelling a little too closely to your rear bumper? Or when the new Robbie Williams track was played on the radio so you decided to switch stations? Or even when your children were becoming unruly in the back and started to kick your seat? Or maybe when your wife told you that she had just bought yet another pair of shoes?

So, the solution is clear. 1 seat per car with no windows or stereo. This would reduce the size of the car and thereby reducing the space cars take up on the road (reducing congestion), it would also require a smaller engine which in turn would reduce their emissions (reducing pollution). I am a genius, now if only Tony and Gordon would see this and got me on board all would be well!

A fair post. I apologise for reducing your intelligence with my dim witted ramblings. But back to the original point...

Even with my somewhat retarded mental stature I can change the radio station or tweak the aircon with, at most a momentary glance away from the road. In addition to that, even though I'm an idiot I can choose when to change the radio or aircon leaving me in a prepared mental state having already scanned the road up ahead for potential problems and deciding it's safe to do so.

Finding the food that's gone under my leg and is now staining my trousers and seats or the cigarette that's burning a hole in my skin falls under impulse / instinctive reactions where you've not had time to properly prepare and take in what's going on around you. You just go and grab.

Of course, the rules are probably special for me due to my retarded ways. I hope i've not further reduced your cell count with this misinformed post. I do hope my girlfriend doesn't bring another pair of shoes home as karma.

[reeso]

I've seen some bib eating, drinking, using mobile phones etc. Its just crap and I can only see it getting worse as time goes on unless something is done pronto. soon you won't be able to open your window or skip a track on your cd as this would constitute a loss of concentration on the road! Nervermind we only look at our speedos anyway so we don't get caught straying over a speed limit and photo'ed by a bloody gatso.....total crap.

I find I can still concentrate on the road, while shaving, gelling my hair, have a phone conversation, eating a muffin from maccy D's while steering with my knees!

[ALTHECATE1]

I was hitching a lift home one night ,it must be 30 + years ago!!! A bloke in a Mini Cooper stopped for me, we were bombing along 115 on the speedo. I had noticed he was changing gear with his right hand and that the left arm of his jacket hung down and he hadnt moved it.
I asked him what was up with his arm, expecting him to say he had hurt it or something.
Imagine my shock when he said that he had lost it in a motorcycle accident a few years ago!! I wonder would he be able to drive today one handed?
Ed

I think I might of known this bloke, if not there was/is two of them around.

But seriosly what of one armed disabled drivers?

[Close]

Maybe we need a well publicised road safety campaign on the dangers of eating at the wheel. Personally I can't remember cursing at someone nearly driving into me while they've been munching on a sandwich. Yet I reckon with a well publicised campaign i'll start to notice them as much as idiots on mobile phones.

[supervet]

Hmm, booked for using a mobile phone on private land not on the public highway!! Oh dear.

Personally I would challenge this and the sandwich charge in court. Shouldn't be difficult to win the sandwich charge given that smoking isn't considered in the same way and that eating is essential to maintain blood sugar levels and therefore concentration.

[Mr Ski]

scol said:

So what if I light up a cigarette and smoke that whilst driving, oddly enouh, guess that one slips under the radar because it generates way too much revenue. Personally I think that this is just as dangerous as eating, drinking or even using a phone all of which I could happily drop in my lap in case of an emercenty, not sure I would want to do that with a cigatette!. Apologies to the smokers out there, just making a point!

If taken to extreme, this law would apply to all instances where you take one hand off the steering wheel other than to perform drving actions, i.e. change gear. So, eating anything, including apples & sandwiches, using mobile phones, blowing your nose, & of course the great moral debate of the moment - SMOKING. All these may or should be included, but then how do you judge whether you are not in full control. Maybe control of the vehicle is a mental state, in which case there are many people who should not be driving. That can include all of us as there will always be times when our minds wander to other thoughts.

Where does it end?