Gulp. Not only can’t New Jersey drivers pump their own gas, they soon won’t even be able to drink coffee behind the wheel.
Drivers would be ticketed under a bill winding its way through the state legislature.
But the bill’s sponsor says that he’s targeting all distracted driving and his measure doesn’t specifically cite coffee, despite recent news reports focusing on the beverage.
Assemblyman John WisniewskiHamodia /reports: said he cannot imagine that a police officer would pull anyone over for drinking coffee.
Current law already prohibits texting or talking without a hands-free device. The new legislation is broader and would bar “any activity unrelated to the actual operation of a motor vehicle in a manner that interferes with the safe operation of the vehicle.”
Wisniewski says he sponsored the bill to avoid the need for new legislation every time technology changes. He introduced the measure seven months ago, but he has yet to bring it up for a vote in a committee he leads. It also never came up for a vote in the two previous legislative sessions in which he introduced similar bills.
Violators could face a $200 to $400 fine for the first offense and a $400 to $600 fine for a second offense. A third or subsequent offense could mean a fine of $600 to $800 and up to a 90-day license suspension, as well as motor vehicle points.
These days cops pull you over for every and any little “offense…” the state needs $$$ and they will shlep every penny out of your pocket that they can get away with…
Is it good to drink coffee while driving? No! But instead of passing one new law after another, the government should enforce the laws already on the books. How many drunk drivers get only a slap on the wrist or get back their drivers licenses a few months after getting caught driving while under the influence, of either drugs or alcohol? There should be a zero tolerance policy for driving. Anyone caught driving while drunk, should have his/her licenses permanently revoked and there should also be a minimum of at least 3 months in prison for a first offense. If… Read more »
When I had drivers-ed in High School (1970’s), in addtion to instructional videos how to drive – as a deterrant to careless driving, they would also show us filmstrips of actual accidents, and what the victims looked like (guts and all). One of them was,”Wheels of Tragedy” (put out by the Ohio Highway Dept. in 1963). Near the end, two patrol officers visit a home to inform the parents that their teenage kids died in an accident. When they get to the door, the senior says to the student,”This is the part you hate, this is the worst.” Next, after… Read more »
Nope. Not until you drive like a mensch