There is likely little denying that today’s world runs at a faster pace than it did in previous years. Many people in Georgia have to find new and innovative ways to multitask in order to make the most use of their time. However, an out-of-state man was recently slapped with criminal charges for engaging in a behavior that may not be so uncommon while on the road.
While traveling on a Georgia highway, the man was pulled over by a police officer. At the time, he had been eating a cheeseburger as he drove. The driver claims that the attending officer insisted that he could not eat a cheeseburger while also operating his vehicle. According to the officer, eating while behind the wheel was in direct violation of state laws regarding distracted driving.
Although he was initially ticketed for the act of eating a burger while driving, the case was recently dismissed. According to the county’s Solicitor General, there simply wasn’t sufficient evidence to prosecute the man. Though he did not disclose the exact details of what led to this conclusion, he did cite an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the traffic stop and subsequent ticket.
There is little doubt that distracted driving — such as talking on a cell phone or texting while behind the wheel — can pose a serious danger to those on the road, but it appears that the Solicitor General did not believe the available evidence fully documented a violation of the applicable laws. The dismissal of his criminal charges is not an entirely uncommon event. In Georgia as across the country, lack of sufficient evidence can result in a full dismissal of the charges for a defendant.
Source: herald-dispatch.com, “Charge dropped against man ticketed for eating while driving“, Feb. 6, 2015