Don't drive with pets in your lap, say police

Police in Newfoundland and Labrador don't want youeating your lunch while you're cruising down the highway.

Oh, and no combingyour hair, or shaving behind the steering wheeleither.

And yes, those things actually happen.

"From reading an article or a book, to smoking, personal grooming, makeup applications, adjusting the radio or the volume, certainly talking with other occupants inside the vehicle," said RCMP Cpl. Jolene Garland, listing off examples of distracted driving that officers see out on the roads.

Police see or hear about such offencesdaily, said Garland, and examples of the behaviourgo way beyond people just using their phone.

It can even involve ketchup.

"You're eating a sandwich and part of the condiments fall over onto your blouse or your shirt, and you're just on your way to work how do you react to that when it happens?" she said.

Can lead to collisions

Police have to actually spot a driver doing something they shouldn't inorder to issue a ticket, often for imprudent driving.

But sometimes police find out about distracted driving only when things get worse.

"In most cases, it's probably resulting in a collision on that bright, dry, sunny day where a vehicle leaves the road and nobody understands why," she said.

Everybody seems to be in a rush all the time.- Jolene Garland

Many say they're late for work, or need to get wherever they're going, but Garland saideveryone needs to give themselves more time in the mornings.

"In this day and age, everybody seems to be in a rush all the time, and trying to get things done as quickly as possible," she said.

Garland reminded drivers to make sure both hands are on the wheel and they're focused on the road.

And that they're also not driving with pets in their lap.

"You can only imagine the level of distraction that would cause," she said.

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