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MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT Leo Varadkar has revealed that despite recent legislation banning texting and using the internet while driving, he has no plans to banish the humble cup from the hands of drivers.
The minister said that addressing that a driver can hold a (obviously non-alcoholic) beverage of some kind while driving is not on his legislatory agenda.
However, under certain circumstances, this is still an offence.
“A person who is observed driving dangerously as a result of their cup holding would be liable for prosecution under those provisions,” the Minister explained.
He was responding to a parliamentary question from Sinn Féin TD Sandra McLellan, who specifically asked the minister why recent legislation doesn’t apply to “cups or anything else”.
Minister Varadkar, having clearly studied the field in depth, was aware of the limitations of current cup technology:
It is unlikely that someone would be making or receiving a call, texting or browsing the internet through their cup.
He noted that people are free to hold cups while driving, but that it is “not a major issue for road safety”, unlike phones.
“It is unlikely that a person is going to be holding a mobile phone if they do not intend to use it.”
Concluding his response, the Minister also had some advise for Deputy McLellan:
I do not intend to bring in a specific offence of cup holding but in the interests of safety, the Deputy is advised not to hold a cup while driving.
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What about the drivers that give themselves a makeover while driving on the motor-way?
Natural Selection.
What they don’t realise is that the impact of their car crossing lanes, and crashing into another car normally smudges the makeup especially if the airbags goes off, if they are killed then they have nothing to worry about, some great work can be done by morgue beautician these days, they can even eye make stick things from an eyeball for your loves to be able to say ” Jesus doesn’t she look well, you would never think she was dead it looks like she is sleeping, ” pity about the other car the whole family had to have closed coffin s…
The makeup users are dealt with by the general law against driving without due care and attention. Unless of course they are managing to do it safely, which we must concede is a possibility – After all, make-up users are mostly women and, as we all know, women are very good drivers.
Not sure if sarcastic or not.
Well, thanks for the feedback either way.
Pistachio Nuts.
A far greater hazard than mobile phones. More addictive than Monkey nuts and more fiddly to open.
Finally…. A bit of sense ….I don’t ever remember hearing a cup coffee being the cause of an accident
Touche
So we’ll just wait until somebody spills a hot cup of coffee on themselves while speeding down a motorway?
So I can still wave at passers-by, drink tea, light a fag, brush my hair, fiddle with the radio, shake my fist at lunatics, and adjust the lad while negotiating a roundabout, but at least I can’t do anything distracting.
No, you can’t. The law States that you must take due care which includes all those things. This just facilitates penalizing those evolutionarily challenged monkeys who haven’t figured out that you need to watch the road and not your phone.
Saw a texting cyclist today
You’re just looking to start a motorist-cyclist row aren’t you?
Actually so did I. On one of the Dublin bike while crossing Dame Street. Almost ran into me. So I’m starting a motorist-cyclist-pedestrian row!! :-)
Eventually they’ll write legislation that can drive the car for us.
If Sinn Fein wrote the legislation the car would drive around in circles and run on empty promises.
And whatever you bring over the boarder in a black sack in the boot is your own business.
Leo Varadkar,
The Minister for talking pure and utter Sh#te….
Biggest hazard I see is eejits in the outside lane driving slowly and not moving out of the way – and really slow drivers in the middle lane who won’t move over to the inside lane
If the two outside lanes are heavy with hoggers and driving lane empty as we often read here on the journal just undertake. On motorways there is no specific offence of overtaking on the inside lane. There is nothing in the Irish Statue Book – Road Traffic Act or the book on Rules of the Road to state otherwise
Just ban driving and get it over with, goole cars self drive my not be that far away after all
Great answer.
Jesus with this level of intelligence I can’t wait until SF are in power.
What a total waste of Dail time.
He was trying to explain something to a SF TD, you really have to get the crayons out and break it down to basics for them.
“What a total waste of Dail time.” Like allowing Sinn Fein TD’s to speak.
@Ron. It can be quite painful, the important thing is not to use too many different colours of crayon or the Sinn Fein members get distracted.
Saw a mother in North Cork cycling with a young child on the back – guess what – she was on her mobile phone whilst going down a hill – how about extending all to cyclists.
Can I pick my nose
The amount of drivers I see driving around alone with a L plate is ridiculous. Do the Guards ever bring anyone to court for this offence.
Their twitter accounts brags about catching people with tax 3/4 & 5 years out of date! So I guess their stop ratio is not great
It’s not always the learner driver doing the driving.
Can somebody answer this question: while it’s obviously illegal to drive while intoxicated, is it actually illegal to drive while drinking a can of beer, not enough to be over the limit, or a shandy…just curious mind.
I recently asked a Garda this and he said, No its not illegal to have an alcoholic drink while drinking, once you’re not over the limit – ridiculous i know
Great I’ll get my champagne flute car holder ready
Leo – please focus on your priorities. Irish tourism is our biggest industry and biggest Brand and you can’t even protect the Brand Name. There is a Tourism Office office on College Green which is a private business. If you Leo can not be trusted to protect a name you should not be in charge of any ministry. Imagine the Apple CEO or Google CEO not protecting their brand? The consequences for them would be disastrous. But it’s Ireland so who cares? Tourists think this is a Tourist office and our government don’t care if their customers get help and assistance or not.
You can not trademark a tourist office!
That Varadkar does come out with daft comments and ideas and I hear he could be the next leader of Finna Gael God help us
In this case it was a stupid answer to a really dumb question
Pretty smart answer actually. Phones are always dangerous and so are illegal in any circumstances. You can drink coffee and be safe but dangerous driving is illegal too.
As much as I detest the pompous git, he makes a valid point.
As long as someones not eatin a 3 course meal and maintains a proper sense of awareness, there’s no major harm.
Plus if a ban was to be introduced, would it apply to all drinks, or simply hot ones?
My wife loves me…:)
I travel with a venomous snake in my lap. He gets nervous if I strap him in the back by himself.
Thankfully this is not illegal. Nanny state gone mad.
Last month I was driving down the M50, took a swig from my thermal flask and spilt boiling hot coffee all over myself. It was undoubtedly one of the most frightening experiences of my life and I will NEVER again hold a hot drink when driving. I was lucky not to have been killed or have killed someone else. It’s just not worth it. You don’t need to have a hot drink when driving, the wait won’t kill you.
Just because you are incompetent, doesn’t mean everybody else can’t manage to do it safely.
Maybe I’m missing something – is the possibility of spilling a hot cup of coffee over yourself while driving at relatively high speeds on a motorway not a considerable enough distraction? Anybody? Seriously? Or do we have to wait for it to actually happen before we say “Oh, right, i see how that could have happened. Why didn’t the politicians foresee this?”?
Should drinkin any and all beverages be banned or do you think the traffic corps should be issued with thermometers?
All beverages.
For f”ck sake what is this sh/t now
Based on what I’ve seen on the road we need to introduce stricter qualifications for driving – no one with less than average intelligence or income should be allowed to pass a driving test.
Income? You’re having a laugh right? Or should I say roysh, so you understand better…
So that’s 50% of all people not allowed to drive….. also if you lose your job you also lose your license?
Where would you need to drive to if you have no job?
More bs from the minister. There’s plenty of legislation to combate even texting. Its call driving without due care & attention or careless driving or dangerous driving all carrying driving bans if enforced. Get on with it.
Duplicate comment.
Duplicate comment.
missing link with the full question that provides contexthttp://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2014-06-19a.578&s=speaker%3A306#g579.q
I’ll just re-post the link.
http://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2014-06-19a.578&s=speaker%3A306#g579.q
As long as they don’t ban lipstick, we should be alright. After all, some surfaces do require the second coat to go on before the first is dry.
Just to add im very very against texting and mobiles , ment to state that, in my last comment
Thanks bit a blades there will be an election soon can’t take anymore shit from fg and lab
Just forgot the smokers, many a time when I did smoke, hot tip between legs not good , ban it now leo now
The humble cup of tea or coffee is worse than the fhone,your more likely to crash if you spill hot liquid on your body ie legs and what not , stop the garages selling the stuff , people half a sleep going to work trying to get there fix of coffee to try and wake up ,, or sober up in some cases, , read the facts more coffee crashes, than fhone crashes get the garda records, that will prove it,
Looks like good old Leo can’t even get his own legislation right. No where does it state you can’t browse the internet.
You can’t hold the phone. You can’t touch the phone while it’s in a cradle to read or type a txt or email. But no where does it say you can’t browse the internet. Once you don’t hold the phone.
I’ve had so many arguments with people over this, mainly because they heard or read it in the news. Now the minister for transport is getting the legislation wrong.
What an absolute joke
It doesn’t specifically say that you can’t give yourself a haircut either, but it’s covered by the part of the law that says you must drive with due care and attention.
It’s fairly simple people. If your doing something that’s interfering with your concentration while driving, stop doing it until your stopped driving. Simples.
Does Varadkar have to comment of every single thing?? Bloody D4 accent out of him is really annoying..
Why is this newsworthy?
Bark in you’re black listed by the journal.
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