Drinking Coffee While Driving In N.J. Could Soon Be Illegal

You may need to get a really long straw if you want to stay awake for that early morning commute.

Lawmakers want to stop distracted driving by banning anything that may take your hands off a steering wheel, including eating and drinking coffee.

They're pushing a bill, A-1908, that specifically prohibits a driver from engaging in any activity — such as eating, drinking or using electronic devices — not related to the operation of the vehicle. The state already bans cellphone usage while driving.

Violators would face fines from $200 to $400 for the first offense, $400 to $600 for a second offense and $600 to $800 for a third or subsequent offense. A third violation may also result in a driver’s license suspension of up to 90 days and a motor vehicle points penalty at the court’s discretion.

The bill is sponsored by Assemblyman John Wisniewski, a Democrat in Middlesex, and Nicholas Chiaravalloti, a Democrat in Hudson, and it's modeled after a similar law in Maine that punishes drivers for using an electronic device, applying cosmetics or performing personal grooming while driving.

The bill was introduced early this year and has been referred to the Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee. No votes have been scheduled.

Wisniewski has pushed for similar bills for several years, saying that education is an important goal — not ticketing everyone who drives.

"At the end of the day, this legislation is about one thing: safety," Wisniewski said in a news release. "At highway speeds, a car accident can happen in the space of a few seconds. Making someone think twice before reaching for their cellphone or watching a video while driving could be all that separates a safe trip from one that ends in an accident. And that's an inconvenience that, frankly, we should all be able to live with."

Steve Carrellas, policy and government affairs director for the National Motorists Association state chapter in New Jersey, called the bill an "overreach," and he also questioned how it can be enforced.

"The provision penalizes a non-specific action instead of the unsafe result from that supposed action. Would that now make changing the radio station or adjusting the radio volume illegal?" Carrellas wrote in an email to Patch.

"What about talking to a passenger? Or interacting with the navigation system? Plus, there is nothing in the language that directly says there was actual unsafe operation. All this makes this provision unenforceable."

Photo by Jonathan Davis