Like the majority of threads that carry strong feelings in this forum, I feel we have debated ourselves to a near standstill with nobody showing the slightest inclination of changing their POV
However, as my parting shot on the subject i'd like to address this comment. The reason I broke off before is because there is an emotive element to it, and try as hard as we can we cannot keep emotion out of it just because we don't like the sentiment.
RobinXe wrote:
I have maintained my standpoint that taking a bite/sip/drag in many situations is perfectly safe because the chances of being required to take evasive action are so remote they are effectively nil.
They may
effectively be nil Robin, but they can
never be nil. I am quite happy to accept that
your judgement is better than most, I'd actually be amazed if it wasn't bearing in mind your profession, but there will be many who come nowhere near your mark and its those I'm worried about. But I do believe that the rules have to apply to everyone equally, irrespective of how much 'above the average' we all perceive ourselves to be.
Killing another human being on the road is a real waste of a life, its even more so when the guilty individual is culpable of some conscious act (such as eating, shaving, tuning the radio, fumbling on the passenger seat etc etc) which took up some of their attention or ability to control their vehicle. It is tragic because such things are
totally unecessary, if people put as much effort in to their personal planning as they do making up feeble excuses (and theres a couple of doozies in this thread) they wouldn't need to be grabbing for a swiss roll (or whatever) when they are supposed to be in control of a ton and a half of fast moving machinery. Even if only one person were killed on the road per year due to drivers chowing down at the wheel, if that person were my wife on her way to work minding her own business, I'd hunt down the bastard that did it and kill them myself. Thats how strongly I feel.
I am not saying that we need to make up a specific offence for eating at the wheel or any other similar act. But I do believe that the core message should be 'your overriding responsibility is to be in control of you vehicle at all times'. We aren't going to stop people from fiddling with car radios, adjusting sat navs, nibbling on a Snickers or whatever but if the police see them pre-occupied with something else other than the prime controls of their car then they are ripe for the pulling regardless of whether they appear to be in control at the time or not. Beacuse they may just vanish round the corner and crash.