Drinking bottle water while driving

Tony Bev · Guru

Drinking bottle water while driving

Izabarack · Guru

It is not illegal to drink water while driving. Person has been charged with driving without due care and attention. I'd like to know how the level of care and attention is measured. Drivers towing vans who speed up when they get to dual lanes should be charged with driving without due care and attention.

Iza

dabbler · Guru

It's a catch-all law rarely used in Qld. Cousin is a Police Sargeant and a few months ago we were discussing this and other related topics (after I had a choking fit while drinking from a water flask when driving the Bruce). At one stage it was used to police mobile phone usage before specific laws came into being. It probably exists in other states. My opinion ... Something else drew the attention of police and an on the spot decision was made to go with the easily proven.

Possum3 · Guru

Driving without due care and attention must be witnessed by Officer unless a collision has occurred - weaving out of lane is normal reason the offence is noticed. Unless advised at the time of reason easily defended. Although if putting on nail polish to toes with foot on dashboard, don't bother to challenge - it has been done...

Possum3 · Guru

Driver's claim dismissed by Qld Police. www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-10/police-dismiss-claims-of-fine-for-drinking-water-at-the-wheel/11589030

skins · Senior Member

I'll admit I was in the police 35 odd years ago, defected a young blokes vehicle once cause his blinkers didn't blink fast enough. Been after him for a week for doing burnouts in a quiet new suburb, had a lot of complaints from the residents from being woken up, could never quite catch him in the act until a witness came forward who saw him speed past his house & he was able to give me a rego, but the complainant didn't want to get involved & didn't actually see him do the burnouts, so I didn't have enough evidence. Tracked the culprit down, he came into the station and I inspected his car. It was absolutely perfect. His only downfall was his extremely bad attitude. Told him he was one blink short of the required number of blinks. Anyway I had motor registry ring me up a week later to enquire about the defect (as in those days you had to take a defected vehicle over the pits for a full inspection). I said to them do you see the faint pencil marking on the top right hand corner of the paperwork, it says, "FAT" - that's short for "Failed Attitude Test". Much the same for driving without due care and attention (whilst drinking water) I suspect.

Also his attitude continued at the motor registry - funny, they found plenty of other defects as well.

-- Edited by skins on Sunday 13th of October 2019 09:17:33 PM

-- Edited by skins on Sunday 13th of October 2019 09:20:19 PM

Rob Driver · Guru

Came across this :)

Regards

Rob

LLD · Guru

It's tipping your head back to drink that can be the issue. Drinking via a straw is recommended so you don't take you eyes off the road. The Germans (AUDI, VW, Benz etc.) could never understand why drink holders were such a big thing and initially resisted pressure to install them. Their response: You are in a car to drive, not sip coffee.

Valkie · Veteran Member

If the grubberment can find any way to separate you from your cash, they will do it.

Just get on to a website one day and look at the motor traffic rules and penalties.

Just getting behind the wheel of your car sets you up for a fine.

Fortunately, our plods are too lazy to bother with most of them, they prefer sitting in the car, having a nap and waiting for the radar alarm to go off.

Whenarewethere · Guru

LLD wrote:
It's tipping your head back to drink that can be the issue. Drinking via a straw is recommended so you don't take you eyes off the road.

I spend 20% looking for speed zone signs & 79% checking my speed!

Tony Bev · Guru

It is good to know, that it was not just drinking the water, which resulted in a fine, (perhaps we have not heard the last/all of it yet)

Thinking back, I am probably safe anyway

I drink water on the open highway, while driving
I never drink water, if there is an oncoming, or close behind vehicle

I also never drink water while driving in the built up areas, as it is just too inconvenient, to have any type of accident, away from home

dabbler · Guru

We have similar habits Tony Bev. For me, it about response time if things go pear-shaped. In suburbia, little time is lost by pulling over if you're that parched. As a very young driver in the family car, I learnt a valuable lesson involving an orange, a bench seat and an emergency brake/clutch manoeuvre.