Drinking Coffee in Your Car Could Get You a Ticket in New Jersey

No, I'm not kidding.  This seems a little ridiculous to me...

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about reducing distracted driving, but come on!  I drink coffee every single morning in the car.  Every. Single. Morning.

And it's not just coffee....

Here's the deal, two NJ lawmakers want to pass a law that will allow police officers to ticket you for doing things in your car that cause you take your hands off of the steering wheel.  Things like applying make-up, drinking coffee (or any beverage) and eating.

What's next?  A ticket for changing the car's radio station?  (Of course you're already listening to Cat Country 107.3, so that wouldn't matter for you!)

According to NJ.com,

The sponsors of the bill, Assemblyman John Wisniewski, D- Middlesex and Nicholas Chiaravalloti, D-Hudson, said it is modeled after a law in Maine and is intended to educate, not punish drivers.

"The issue is that we need to try, in every way, to discourage distracted driving, it's dangerous," Wisniewski said. "Education and enforcement can change the attitudes of people."

Though others say that the bill is overreaching.  (I'm definitely part of that group!!)

Officials from AAA said that a distraction law would be hard to enforce since an officer would have to observe how the driver was distracted, but also that the bill may have a higher purpose.

"The legislation introduced by Assemblyman Wisniewski, while admirable in theory, may not help police enforce the law," said Tracy Noble, AAA Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman.

That's according to NJ.com.

The fines are pretty steep too....  $200 - $400 for a first offense.  $400 - $600 for a second offense and $600 - $800 and the possibility of a 90 day license suspension for a third offense.

What do you think?

I hate the idea.