Man Ticketed for Driving Under the Influence of Burger

Last week, it was reported that an Alabama man was ticketed for eating McDonald’s while driving. Madison Turner was pulled over after being spotted eating a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese by a police officer.

Apparently, the officer had been watching Turner go to town on the burger for about two miles before pulling him over.

The law reads: A driver shall exercise due care in operating a motor vehicle on the highways of this state and shall not engage in any actions which shall distract such driver from the safe operation of such vehicle.

This raises the question of whether or not you can get ticketed for driving while eating. According to the officer, Madison was clearly distracted from his duties on the road when chowing on the burger.

Madison had this to say about the whole burger situation:

Maybe I was enjoying the burger too much [and] I needed to tone it down. I was certainly willing to do so but I didn’t expect to be fined or punished.

As of now, there are no explicit laws saying it’s illegal to eat and drive. That being said, there are a ton of distracted driving laws. This means that any action performed in a vehicle, whether texting, applying makeup, or eating can cause you to be pulled over if deemed a big enough distraction from following driving laws.

Pretty much, if you make a big enough show of doing something other than driving you can get a ticket.

The case is currently ongoing. A Cobb County police spokesperson declined to comment on the matter.

Next time you order a sloppy Animal Style Double Double, just pull over and enjoy it.