International Law

Yeah, that’s safe

Driving while talking on a cellphone is one thing. Text messaging another. Then there’s this:

WINDSOR, Ont. - A man from Windsor, Ont., has learned the hard way that drivers should not be watching movies while dealing with highway traffic.

Especially while speeding. Provincial police in Essex County stopped a minivan travelling on Highway 401 at 141 kilometres an hour just after midnight.

The officer peeked inside and saw a portable DVD player on the dashboard beside the steering wheel.

Police say the driver admitted he was watching a DVD as he returned home from Toronto with other passengers and felt there was nothing illegal about it.

He received a $411 ticket.

The scary thing is, I know people who have DVD players set up on their dashboard. I wouldn’t let them drive while watching it though. Despite my leftist-libertarian leanings, this is one area where I wouldn’t mind seeing tougher laws enacted. Such distractions are now illegal in some provinces and many states, but there still seems to be little stigma. Meanwhile studies have shown that talking on a cellphone while driving can be as dangerous or even more dangerous than driving while drunk.

And don’t get me started with kids who wear their hoodies while driving. Peripheral vision? Who needs it?

Full post as published by Criminal Review on May 13, 2008 (boomark / email).