Drinking coffee while driving

Special Circumstances

brightspark wrote: »

if you were driving with due care and ATTENTION you would have noticed the Garda car!

Next time check your mirrors before taking a swig of coffee

Or indicate or change gear or change station on the radio

brightspark

Special Circumstances wrote: »

Or indicate or change gear or change station on the radio

It is Mirror Signal Manoeuvre, so you are right!

GerryDerpy

McGixxer wrote: »

I think it's harsh to assume I'm not a confident driver... touché

I agree, hence I apologised. Don't think I will be getting the same courtesy from you for some reason!

Is your username related to a certain GSXR motorbike? Do you feel easily distracted riding it? I have been riding a R1 for a few years now and the experience has meant a sup of coffee in the car is no distraction whatsoever!!

McGixxer

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

- You compared updating your Facebook status on a mobile phone while driving to taking a drink from a cup/bottle...agreed

No.

Special Circumstances wrote: »

2/10

Thank you

GerryDerpy wrote: »

I agree, hence I apologised. Don't think I will be getting the same courtesy from you for some reason!

You think I should apologise to you because you decided to jump on the bandwagon and try to belittle me, and I responded accordingly?
You'd be right in assuming I won't be affording you the same courtesy.

GerryDerpy wrote: »

Is your username related to a certain GSXR motorbike? Do you feel easily distracted riding it? I have been riding a R1 for a few years now and the experience has meant a sup of coffee in the car is no distraction whatsoever!!

It is, and I've been riding bikes for 40 years. I've been driving cars for the same length.
No, I'm not easily distracted, as my life depends on it. Unfortunately, my life also depends on car drivers not getting distracted, and you're kidding yourself if you think drinking coffee whilst driving doesn't or can't distract you. What if you dropped the cup of hot coffee into your lap, would that not distract you, or are you like all the other special people on here, who have special hands and have never dropped anything in their life?

_Kaiser_

McGixxer wrote: »

No.

Nothing worse than someone who can't admit when they're wrong... it undermines any other point you might make.

Mycroft H

So many strawmen in this thread.

chillin117

Being the OP I now deem myself suitably chastised and now see the error of my ways. I would like to apologise to each of you, road users and the Garda involved. I am a better,more humble person because of this and I warmly thank you all for removing that burden from my tired shoulders.
I will get my coat....

Voodoomelon

I'm off for a cappuccino at the Drive Thru.

ThisRegard

Mycroft H wrote: »

So many strawmen in this thread.

They're ****ed so when they get rear ended like that lad in the Micra who couldn't find his fag. They'd only be too glad to have a cup of coffee to help quench their burning nuts.

McGixxer

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

Nothing worse than someone who can't admit when they're wrong... it undermines any other point you might make.

My sentiments exactly!

Mellor

McGixxer wrote: »

I get the feeling that everyone who thinks drinking coffee whilst driving is OK, also believes it's OK to use a mobile phone whilst driving? And it's OK to update your bookface status whilst driving, to "Just ran over a pedestrian... srsly, lol".

I've no idea whether it's illegal or it isn't, but it certainly should be illegal. It should be classed the same as using a mobile phone whilst driving, which should be treated as seriously as drinking and driving.

When the country has attitudes like this, and most people don't see a problem with driving without consideration for the safety of others, is it any wonder people get away scot-free when they use their car to kill someone, and the judge says "Ah poor Sarah really needed that coffee. Sure it was only a biker anyway."

It's unbelievable that people think this is acceptable behaviour whilst driving.

If you think drinking coffee or water is equivalent to drunk driving or using a mobile then I'm not sure that you understand the issues with the latter two tbh.

McGixxer

Mellor wrote: »

If you think drinking coffee or water is equivalent to drunk driving or using a mobile then I'm not sure that you understand the issues with the latter two tbh.

Someone else who likes to invent his own version of what I said.

Autosport

Why would you take a drink/sip when the gardai are behind/passing you? That's asking for trouble and yes I drink beverages when I drive as like some other motorists I can multitask

martingriff

savagethegoat wrote: »

there is a risk in drinking hot coffee I suppose, if you dumped the lot in your lap by accident (obviously) it could result in a major incident.

There's also the risk of driving one handed to consider.

I have an adapted car with hand controls for acceleration and breaking. Only 1 hand on the steering wheel should I be banned from driving.

I don't think the Garda was seriously thinking of bringing you to court what he was saying was if there was a situation where there was a car crash and it was shown you were drinking ot eating then yes you can and should be done for driving without care

McGixxer

screamer wrote: »

Being able to multitask has SFA to do with it. When you're driving you're driving, not eating drinking chatting on a phone Doing yet makeup or whatever. It's flippant attitudes that make the roads more dangerous than they should be. I'd rather see a dilligent driver than a multitasking muppet behind the wheel.

Finally, a sensible reply

screamer

Being able to multitask has SFA to do with it. When you're driving you're driving, not eating drinking chatting on a phone Doing yet makeup or whatever. It's flippant attitudes that make the roads more dangerous than they should be. I'd rather see a dilligent driver than a multitasking muppet behind the wheel.

ThisRegard

How many deaths or serious injuries have been the result of someone taking a sip while driving?

screamer

Probably more than reported after all who'd admit to crashing because they were sampling their morning latte..... look fairly stupid now wouldn't they.......

chillin117

How many single car crashes are suicide ? Quite a few I would think

ThisRegard

screamer wrote: »

Probably more than reported after all who'd admit to crashing because they were sampling their morning latte..... look fairly stupid now wouldn't they.......

It'll be fairly evident in an accident, wouldn't it.

chillin117

ThisRegard wrote: »

It'll be fairly evident in an accident, wouldn't it.

Is that aimed at me ?

McGixxer

ThisRegard wrote: »

How many deaths or serious injuries have been the result of someone taking a sip while driving?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that eating and driving increases the likelihood of crashes by 80 percent. Additionally, 65 percent of near-miss crashes are caused by distracted drivers who are eating or drinking while driving

http://www.decidetodrive.org/distracted-driving-dangerous/eating-driving/

Mellor

McGixxer wrote: »

Someone else who likes to invent his own version of what I said.

You literally compared then, and said they should be treated the same.
But keep back pedalling, it has to start working soon

McGixxer

Mellor wrote: »

You literally compared then, and said they should be treated the same.
But keep back pedalling, it has to start working soon

You literally have no clue what you're talking about.
But carry on, it's entertaining.

martingriff

GerryDerpy wrote: »

Maybe it's possible that you are not a confident driver and therefore feel it unsafe to swig from a coffee while driving? Does the same go for water? Would you actually feel the need to pull over to take a drink?

I think people lacking such confidence in their driving shouldn't project their own limitations on competent drivers. It is a bit like the eejit that does something stupid while on drugs and gets them banned for the rest of us :-D

You do know that you are not the only person who uses the roads right. You may be competent enough to go 140 on a dual carriage way you be competent to swig from a coffee, coke etc but others have not you have a duty of care not just for you but those around you. A lot of the times I hear of people who say I am a great driver I can go 140, 160 those are the one who would more than likely fail a driving test if they did it again

McGixxer

I find it quite amusing that some people think drinking coffee is in no way a distraction whilst driving. In the same breath, I find it extremely worrying, that I have to share the roads with those idiots.

Noccy_Mondy

Whatever about a coffee cup, there's a lot more hardship involved with taking a drink from a bottle, you need one hand to hold the bottle, another to open it, that's where the knees come in handy

demanufactured

Is that what the cup holders are for?
I use them for my can of beer.

brightspark

McGixxer wrote: »

I find it quite amusing that some people think drinking coffee is in no way a distraction whilst driving. In the same breath, I find it extremely worrying, that I have to share the roads with those idiots.

Everything besides observation and steering the vehicle is a distraction.

But if we were really trying to eliminate all distractions then all non essential signs would be banned, barriers put up to prevent drivers from seeing anything beyond the road, radios would not be permitted in cars. Even the signs currently located near toll barriers highlighting the eflow tags ceasing to work are a distraction.

Having a coffee breaks the monotony of the drive especially on an empty motorway. I'm not certain but I doubt if monotony is good for a drivers concentration either.

My point is there are many distractions, the question is how much it affects the driver. If the driver didn't notice a Garda car then he was clearly distracted. Before I'd take a sip of coffee unless I'm actually stopped in traffic, I'd make sure there were no cars near me, Garda or not.

McGixxer

brightspark wrote: »

Everything besides observation and steering the vehicle is a distraction.

But if we were really trying to eliminate all distractions then all non essential signs would be banned, barriers put up to prevent drivers from seeing anything beyond the road, radios would not be permitted in cars. Even the signs currently located near toll barriers highlighting the eflow tags ceasing to work are a distraction.

Having a coffee breaks the monotony of the drive especially on an empty motorway. I'm not certain but I doubt if monotony is good for a drivers concentration either.

My point is there are many distractions, the question is how much it affects the driver. If the driver didn't notice a Garda car then he was clearly distracted. Before I'd take a sip of coffee unless I'm actually stopped in traffic, I'd make sure there were no cars near me, Garda or not.

It's obviously impossible to eliminate all distractions, but adding to them should be the last thing on anyone's mind.

I read somewhere that coffee is also the worst thing (apart from alcohol) that you can drink if you're driving for more than half an hour, because (according to the report), as the effect of the caffeine wears off (20-30 mins), you become even more distracted than if you'd drank nothing.