Put down the flute and keep your eyes on the road.
And forget about sipping that cup of coffee on the way to work, or smoking a cigarette on the way home. In some states, it could soon be illegal -- if it isn't already.
Emboldened by the passage of cell phone bans for drivers, states are turning their attention to other things that drive attention to other things that drive motorists to distraction.
Vermont lawmakers are considering a measure that would ban eating, drinking, smoking, reading, writing, personal grooming, playing an instrument, "interacting with pets or cargo," talking on a cell phone or using any other personal communication device while driving. The punishment: a fine of up to: $600.00.
Similar bills are under consideration in Maryland and Texas, and Connecticut has passed one that generically bans any activity that could interfere with safe driving.
"What finally pushed me over the edge was when I was at a stop sign and someone opposite of me was trying to navigate around the corner with a cell phone in one hand and a cigarette in the other, and she wasn't doing very well," said the bill's sponsor, Republican state Rep. Thomas F. Koch.
He said his wife recently saw a driver playing the flute, which led him to include the instrument ban in his bill.
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