Eat a Cheeseburger in QLD, while Driving....$330 plus 3 Demerit points !!!

[EDManual]

if you are doing any of this stuff, but do not look away from the road or swerve etc, theres no problem?! Is that the rule?

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by EDManual

if you are doing any of this stuff, but do not look away from the road or swerve etc, theres no problem?! Is that the rule?

No, it isn't the 'rule' as such, it's at the discretion of the person who caught you.

[F6E]

So the QPS will have to change their "Fatal 4" slogan to the "Fatal 5" ?

- Speed
- Alcohol
- Fatigue
- Seatbelts
- Big Mac'

I genuinely feel sorry for the cops that are expected to enforce Qlds ever expanding list of draconian, nanny state laws all in the name of $ REVENUE $ !!


.

[J.C.]

Geez! I like to nibble on peanuts and chow down on a piece of fruit when I drive distance (highway) and leave early (breakfast). Drink water or a can of softdrink too.
Does this mean I have to pull over every time I wish to eat a peanut or take a mouthful of water?


I get the idea behind it. I truly do. It just seems .................. a bit much.
To chomp down on a burger in peak hour traffic can have it risks, no doubt, hence I, for one, have enough brains not to do such things. It just isn't worth the risk ....................... as someone else may be doing it and you may just have to avoid their stupidity and not just your own.

I say we let mother nature take care of the dumbar$e$ within our society. At least it will stop them from breeding and strength the gene pool with those who can use some common sense (which is not all that common anymore). This will only help in reducing the number of grubby politicians that come up with these revenue raising, vote winning style of rules that our law enforcement officers have to try their very best to believe in and enforce.

As an individual, I weigh it up. "Is it safe to reach into this bag that sits on my lap and grab a peanut and place it in my mouth while indicating, changing down a gear, turn this corner while avoiding the child that just stepped out onto the road without looking?"
"What you think DH?"
Of course you aren't going to do such a thing.

Yet, cruising down the highway with hardly anyone in sight and no cause for concern, I believe it's ok to grab that peanut now. Just careful not to choke.

That's my two cents............for what it may be worth.

Oh. And Next time I get randomly pulled over by a police officer who steps out of the car wiping the mayo off of his chin from the sandwich he has just finished devouring, I'll be asking him for his licence.
I'll let you know how I get along with that one.

[falconnut]

Wow...

Queensland road 'rules' just get more and more stupid every day.

Then again i was pulled over on new years here in good old nsw and got grilled because some idiot mistook me for a ferrari doing crazy stuff infront of me...

[Rockape]

Just another way to get some $ out of you.

[mike_nofx]

Some people can't drive normally/safely with the radio off and both hands on the wheel. Do we really want these people driving while eating burgers and with music deafeningly loud??

Just because you think you can do it safely, do you think everyone can?

[XR6TCraig]

Originally Posted by grandpa_spec_F6

Personally, I get what they are trying to stop but this is such a grey area I feel there need to be clearly defined activites you CANT do while driving which constitute "inattention". At the end of the day while most people use commen sense for the rest of them, you cant police against stupid.

I agree. While I believe that inattention definitely causes accidents and results in fatalities, where do you draw the line.

Talking on a phone. Fair enough, but the law extends to not even being able to touch your phone in some states. So then how is it legal to pick up and use a two way radio while driving? Or a CD? Or a packet of chewing gum?

Trying to eat a burger. Yep I can see that takes a fair amont of your attention off the road. Eating with one or two hands, not keeping your eyes on the road, etc, particularly in a built up area. On a long straight road on the way to bumfcuk, then thats a different story.

What about chewing gum, eating a Mars bar, hoeing into a packet of minties or fantails or smoking? Is enough attention being taken off the task at hand to do these things at the same time? Are the police capable of making that call, or is it just a matter of taking the hardline and fining everyone?

I tend to agree that this is simply an attempt to lighen a few more tax payers or their hard earned! If they want to be specific, then clamp down on mobile phone use. This is a biggie IMO in terms of accidents caused!

[Itsme]

C'mon be honest.
I think about every driver has had one form of drink & eaten some type of food while driving a vehicle......

Just nothing but another money grab by a Government using road safety as an excuse.

[XR6TCraig]

Hell Yes.

As an apprentice you learn very early on to steer with your knees while eating between/on the way to jobs. LOL

[mike_nofx]

Originally Posted by trublu

C'mon be honest.
I think about every driver has had one form of drink & eaten some type of food while driving a vehicle......

Just nothing but another money grab by a Government using road safety as an excuse.

Bit like saying "c'mon, who hasnt at some stage done 40-50km/h over the limit?" Probably most people. But doesn't mean it should be legal.

[Mitch_]

Originally Posted by F6E

So the QPS will have to change their "Fatal 4" slogan to the "Fatal 5" ?

- Speed
- Alcohol
- Fatigue
- Seatbelts
- Big Mac'

I genuinely feel sorry for the cops that are expected to enforce Qlds ever expanding list of draconian, nanny state laws all in the name of $ REVENUE $ !!


.

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au...eaths/1717985/


bam.. its its fatal five

[csv8]

4 and 20 will have to stop making Traveller Pies. A meat pie designed to eat while driving.....
Its the "officers discretion" which gets me. It might be ok for one officer but not another??? as posted, a very grey area. I don't eat "sloppy" food when driving, sausage/chiko roll etc.
It would be interesting to see this challenged in in court....There needs to be a clear a definition...but won't be...

[Rumble Buggy]

While i have great respect for the work police do (i have 2 officers in the family) i have just as great contempt for turning them into revenue collectors. While the law cannot be written to exempt cheesburgers i hope officers will show common sence. I'd also hope there would be at least a warning for a first time and not a $330 fine for a first time. It's all very well to say high fines deter bad behavior but its easy to slip up occasionally and times are tough for many right now.
I was once driving down the Bruce highway at 100k's and looked at the car beside me. The woman had both elbows on the wheel while she took turns at pulling her eylids down to put eyedrops in. Maybe that moron doesnt deserve a warning

[F6E]

Originally Posted by Mitch_

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au...eaths/1717985/


bam.. its its fatal five

OMFG !!! They stole my material....

#5 ... the killer burger, that is just too funny

Nice find there Mitch !!

Seriously, why would anyone want to be a traffic cop in Qld ?

Baffles me why people are suposedly rushing to move to this state ( Qld )....
( I say that pending a job offer in Canberra, which I fear may be infinitely worse ...?... )

[Auslandau]

Originally Posted by mike_nofx

Some people can't drive normally/safely with the radio off and both hands on the wheel. Do we really want these people driving while eating burgers and with music deafeningly loud??

Just because you think you can do it safely, do you think everyone can?

Again, they are not tackling the actual problem and that is how did these people get a license in the first place. If you cannot throw a peanut into your mouth while driving without having an accident you shouldn't have got given the license in the first place. Does that mean manual cars should also be banned because some cannot operate them properly without checking the top of the gear knob on every change? That's a distraction? Banning kids in the back seat .... how distracting that is trying to tell them to stop poking each other ..... can you get a fine for having a huntsman run across your dashboard? Grabbing a ciggy from the packet? Getting the lighter out of the socket? Listening to the nuffy on the satnav? Fine people for having doing dangerous stuff but the Macca;s cheeseburger is the quintessential traveler!!!!

If someone cannot chew and steer safely, they shouldn't have got a license in the first place ...... fix that problem first and then see what happens!

[dylancox]

Can't wait for the new TAC billboards:

If you Eat and drive, you're a greedy idiot.

[mike_nofx]

I'd like to think the "at the officers discression" part would mean that if he sees you sip a bottle of water, whilst seeing no change in driving behaviour, he does nothing. But if he sees you half enter the next lane or something, he fines you.

Does dash cam footage count in court? Get a cam which shows both the road, and the cabin occupants. If you get a fine for loss of control while eating, show the cam footage of you in total control while doing these things?

[superyob]

Originally Posted by grandpa_spec_F6

I get what youre saying DASH, Im just sick of seeing the same bs over and over.
"A lone gunman shot lots of people"
Solution: scream at top of lungs "ban guns, guns are bad, everyone who uses guns is a murderer waiting to strike.

"Minority of road users do burnouts and drifts in acts of gross stupidity"
Solution: label everyone with anything that remotely looks different to a camry a hoon, justification: "why do they need a car like "x" to get from a to b."

"People have accidents due to inattention"
Solution: fine people and threaten to take their driving privileged away

NONE of these address the root causes... they are lazyassed bandaid solutions so some mug behind a desk can gets thumbs up from the pollies so they can continue to kiss babies and pretend they give a crap about anything else than revenue and votes.

Ill shutup now

Just as I am sick of people saying 'Im just sick of seeing the same bs over and over', and who are very critical wandering way off topic and offer no reasonable solution.

So how would you deal with the lethal problem of driver inattention?

[cs123]

Originally Posted by superyob

So how would you deal with the lethal problem of driver inattention?

The trouble with the "Fatal 5" is that there are a training/discipline thing. It's impossible to successfully legislate to fix that problem.

A well trained driver with the right attitude is what we need.

Personally, my fix would start at driver training. I would require that anyone who instructs a trainer driver has to pass a practical test as well as pass a theory test.

[aussie muscle]

i've done it. never had a problem tho.

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Define eating.
Would a plate of hotcakes be equal to a Snickers bar?
Would popping a stick of gum in your mouth be worse again, or better?
Your drink. Was it a can, cup or a bottle? Do you have cup holders? Is it hot, cold, Frozen or full of ice? Straw or no straw? Lid or no lid?

come on, these are QLD cops. those are ALL fine attracting offenses.

[grandpa_spec_F6]

Originally Posted by superyob

Just as I am sick of people saying 'Im just sick of seeing the same bs over and over', and who are very critical wandering way off topic (leave your loony gun agenda out of this) and offer no reasonable solution.

So how would you deal with the lethal problem of driver inattention?

You may not have seen my numerous posts on how I think we should fix things. Im not about to subject eveyone to another rant so ill point to cs123's post and say that about sums it.

I wont address the rest of your post here as it would throw the thread off topic but I will say fair call. however I included those examples for a reason and if you would like to pm me im happy to explain my reasoning behind the post you have taken exception to

[XBROO]

No worries for cheese burgers as they are only one bite. So it's a wonder smoking hasn't been banned, as I reckon that's more dangerous. Lucky I ride a bike more then I drive, because I only have to worry about 3 of the 5.

[geckoGT]

Good, bring it on. I have not read the whole thread as many of the comments don't deserve reading.

Personally I am sick of attending crashes and hearing excuses such as "I only glanced down for a second". As DashGT said, if motorists could use some common sense there would be no requirement for these laws. The truth is your fellow motorists prove daily that they need these laws.

[noflac52]

There's an interesting anomaly here . Fatigue is one of the major killers on the roads and keeping your energy levels up and staying hydrated are important factors in keeping it at bay.

I know that stopping and resting is also a good fix but when it comes to the eating and drinking thing, the best way to keep energy levels up is to drink and eat small amounts at reasonably frequent intervals. So to satisfy one of the fatal five (inattention) you have to address the other one (fatigue) in a way thats not really ideal.

The trouble with making more and more laws is that it eventually becomes unworkable because they begin to contradict each other and no one can understand their true meaning anymore.

Its an easy fix. Train the drivers well and the ones that lack the ability to drive properly just don't get a licence. Death toll and injury toll will drop immediately this is done and every one is well trained and competent.

[satria]

Originally Posted by noflac52

Its an easy fix. Train the drivers well and the ones that lack the ability to drive properly just don't get a licence. Death toll and injury toll will drop immediately this is done and every one is well trained and competent.

You see though, the problem with that is it costs money, it won't get you re-elected and you won't have any money to spend for your ridiculous promises you need to make to get re-elected.

People would prefer you say you are working hard at reducing the death tolls and actually do nothing for them rather than actually get rid of them.

Where is my cheeseburger god dammit?!

[XBROO]

Originally Posted by noflac52

The trouble with making more and more laws is that it eventually becomes unworkable because they begin to contradict each other and no one can understand their true meaning anymore.
.

The police can because it's at their discretion.

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by noflac52

There's an interesting anomaly here . Fatigue is one of the major killers on the roads and keeping your energy levels up and staying hydrated are important factors in keeping it at bay.

I know that stopping and resting is also a good fix but when it comes to the eating and drinking thing, the best way to keep energy levels up is to drink and eat small amounts at reasonably frequent intervals. So to satisfy one of the fatal five (inattention) you have to address the other one (fatigue) in a way thats not really ideal.

The trouble with making more and more laws is that it eventually becomes unworkable because they begin to contradict each other and no one can understand their true meaning anymore.

Its an easy fix. Train the drivers well and the ones that lack the ability to drive properly just don't get a licence. Death toll and injury toll will drop immediately this is done and every one is well trained and competent.

Interesting point you have there.

The reverse of it though is that if you are so tired you need to knock down a redbull, massacre a cheeseburger and crank up the music to keep going, you should have had a break long ago.

Regular small meals do not need to be more frequent than the two hours that breaks are recommended.

[grandpa_spec_F6]

I recently drove from brisbane to coffs harbour. Ill be damned if id ever drive for more than 2 hours without at least a stretch of the legs and some water, sure I dont make long trips every week but you certainly feel like you enter a "zone" after a while. That then turns to inattention etc.

[TheSneakiness]

Originally Posted by grandpa_spec_F6

feel like you enter a "zone" after a while

Yeah, I do that, but whats more scary for me is that I go into the zone about 5 minutes after I start driving. I just cannot pay attention on the roads anymore simply because to me driving is boring.