Funny how once places that stop respecting your right to keep and bear arms usually stop respecting you altogether:
New Jersey already draws ire for not letting drivers pump their own gas. But the state might ban them from having a cup of coffee behind the wheel too.
Keep in mind that using a cell phone (other than hands-free) is already illegal for everyone in New Jersey, as is texting while driving. Though, given what I see from Jersey drivers on the Turnpike, maybe having a breakfast burrito and driving might be a bit much for them.
Wisniewski said he has seen people try to multitask while driving, even reading newspapers behind the wheel, according to News 12 New Jersey. The law, he said, is meant to educate, not punish motorists.
Oh, so there’s no fines associated with it then? A big problem with politicians in general is that they think we’re fucking stupid, and treat us as such.
H/T to Instapundit
This is (probably) DOA and a publicity stunt for the authors. And, for that matter, I suspect that the owners of convenience stores and delis will be calling their congresscritters and encouraging their customers to do same.
When you’re at the range and witness some stupid behavior involving a firearm, do you call a ceasefire ?
I’m betting you would.
So let’s substitute driving a car for ‘firing a rifle’, would you be willing to shoot next to someone drinking coffee while shooting a rifle?
Sure, it’s great to have fewer laws and especially traffic laws, which are a large part of the problem Police across the country are having. However, distracted drivers put other motorists at risk of death or serious bodily injury and many states don’t treat serious injuries or fatalities in a motor vehicle with the same severity as if you are stabbed or shot. Dead is dead. Injured is injured.
To which I say, existing laws exist. It’s not like we haven’t had people doing things alongside their driving since the days of Henry Ford.
How about having a conversation in the car? Tuning the radio? Smoking? The bottom line is that there are all kinds of behaviors that distract the driver from giving their undivided attention to driving. However, you don’t need to give driving your undivided attention all of the time. But you need to know when to do so.
I’m just thinking out loud, but it seems to me what people ought to fear is, having an accident. Then implicit in that would be, fearing any personal behaviors that might lead to an accident. The State would not need to codify what any particular hazardous behavior was.
As it is, barring physical injury, for most people, having an accident is relatively painless, if inconvenient and occasionally expensive. But in the immediate time-frame, missing a text or not enjoying one’s coffee seems more inconvenient, so worth the risk.