Woman Gets ticket for putting on Make-up

[Doramius]

ABOUT DAMN TIME!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11744489/

Woman fined for fixing makeup while driving
U.K. speed camera catches driver with both hands off the wheel

Updated: 4:58 p.m. ET March 9, 2006
North Wales police couldn’t believe their eyes when a camera at a spot notorious for accidents caught a woman driver using both hands to put on her makeup.

Donna Maddock, 22, was filmed as she drove along the A499, one of Britain’s most dangerous roads. She held a mirror in her left hand and an eye pencil in her right, leaving the steering wheel to itself.

On Wednesday, she was fined 200 pounds ($350) with 55 pounds costs and had six penalty points added to her driving license after admitting careless driving at Pwllheli magistrates court.

“A car is a dangerous lump of metal in the wrong hands. You need to be in control at all times, and Miss Maddock’s actions beggars belief,” said Inspector Essi Ahari in a statement.

A police spokeswoman said the camera had been set up because of the large numbers of collisions and deaths on that stretch of road.

“It is to catch speeding drivers. But when officers saw the film of her applying her makeup it was also obvious that she was committing a careless act,” she said.

[Cole]

ABOUT DAMN TIME!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11744489/

Woman fined for fixing makeup while driving
U.K. speed camera catches driver with both hands off the wheel

Updated: 4:58 p.m. ET March 9, 2006
North Wales police couldn’t believe their eyes when a camera at a spot notorious for accidents caught a woman driver using both hands to put on her makeup.

Donna Maddock, 22, was filmed as she drove along the A499, one of Britain’s most dangerous roads. She held a mirror in her left hand and an eye pencil in her right, leaving the steering wheel to itself.

On Wednesday, she was fined 200 pounds ($350) with 55 pounds costs and had six penalty points added to her driving license after admitting careless driving at Pwllheli magistrates court.

“A car is a dangerous lump of metal in the wrong hands. You need to be in control at all times, and Miss Maddock’s actions beggars belief,” said Inspector Essi Ahari in a statement.

A police spokeswoman said the camera had been set up because of the large numbers of collisions and deaths on that stretch of road.

“It is to catch speeding drivers. But when officers saw the film of her applying her makeup it was also obvious that she was committing a careless act,” she said.

This gets worse as she is quoted as saying (from the London Evening Standard):

"It is what I would call one of my blonde moments," she said.

"I must have looked like Penelope Pit Stop driving along slapping the make-up on, but it is something all women do - I can't see what all the fuss is about." Ms Maddock said all her friends had admitted to applying thier make up while driving. "In my eyes it is hardly any different to smoking at the wheel."

In the UK there are insurance companies that are exclusive to women. It is deemed that women are safer drivers as they are involved in less serious accidents than men. Thus women can have cheaper car insureance. On the evidence of the statement above, does that still apply?

[waheed]

About time.

There are even WOMEN ONLY insurance companies in the UK which I think is really taking the piss.

IMO, there have been more accidents reating to woman drivers. One recent occasion was that one of my neibours was trying to reverse their car from their driveway (woman of course), instead she must of put it in first gear and went forward straight into the garage door

[VCDHunter]

In the UK there are insurance companies that are exclusive to women. It is deemed that women are safer drivers as they are involved in less serious accidents than men. Thus women can have cheaper car insureance. On the evidence of the statement above, does that still apply?

Women are twice as likely to have accidents as men. They just don't do anywhere near as much driving and the majority of driving jobs are done by men.

I'm not sure how single sex Insurance companies work, as I was under the impression that refusing someone on the grounds of their sex is illegal.

But come on a £200 fine ? She should receive a 6 month ban at least. No remorse shown, in fact she still can't seem to understand what she has done wrong.

[waheed]

I'm not sure how single sex Insurance companies work, as I was under the impression that refusing someone on the grounds of their sex is illegal.

Thats what I would have thought too. But Diamond Insurance is one of them:

fom their website:

Car insurance for women


Why does Diamond provide cheaper car insurance for women? The answer is that by providing women only car insurance, we can pass on the savings to you, the customer. This is because women generally have the same number of accidents as men, but women's car insurance claims cost us less, as men's accidents tend to be speed related which causes more damage. That means Diamond can pass the savings from cheaper women's claims on to you.

Get a quote for cheaper car insurance for women online, or call XXX XXX XXX now!

Diamond is a company created by women for women to provide cheaper car insurance for women. We can provide cheaper women only insurance because we recognise that statistically women are better drivers.

The statistics come from the collection of claims data over decades by car insurance companies that provide similar car insurance for women and men. Typically, an insurance company has to pay out more to fix a car when a man has had an accident as the car has to be extensively repaired. Women are more likely to have accidents at lower speeds, which causes far less damage to their car. This results in cheaper women only car insurance.

[Cole]

And we are suppossed to have the sex descrimination act in the UK.

However, I am a fairly new driver (three years) and from what I have seen, the most agressive drivers do tend to be men, so the above statement could have some truth in it. If a woman hits another car at 25mph, there will be some minor damage; Mr. Gorrilla piles up his series 5 BMW doing 50 in a built up area = major repairwork.

But many young girl drivers I have seen are getting just as bad as the boy racers these days, so this situation may not last very long.

[Doramius]

In a US study researched by Progressive Auto Insurance, It said Male drivers tended to be more aggressive and more likely to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They are also involved in more fatal acidents than female drivers.

However, the amount of non-fatal accidents, in which damage was reported, was alarmingly high for women. They also found out that women are less likely to report minor damage accidents in which nobody was hurt. A minor damage accident is where a person backed into a post or wall or scraped the side of a car, etc.; yet no mechanical damage was sustained.

Another study showed that women are less likely to regularly check the tires & brakes of a car, but more likely to report when there is a blowout or their car cannot move. (so basically they'll drive a flat or drive with poor brakes) Women tend to pay more money out of pocket for repairs than men do, for this reason.

The cost of these reported types of incidents still fall short of accidents that involve a fatality and/or when there is a driver involved who was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The insurance companies still have the costs & premiums in the right spot. And women do cause more accidents than men. Odd but true.


You can check this out by searching through the Progressive insurance site. Good luck though, as the site sometimes reads like stereo instructions. http://progressive.com/

[anitract]

THROW THE BOOK AT HER!!

...

I cringe whenever I see this on my commute to work. ^_^

[Doramius]

Again, women cause more bumper-to-bumper accidents. It's not that they are better drivers, its that they do not pay as much attention when they are at the stops or in Stop&Go traffic. Women will tend to offer more space because they remember these incidents they have had in the past. Men drive a little more aggressive and at higher speeds. If something happens and they lose control, the ability to recover and avoid an accident is small. These higher speeds will end up in more damage and fatalities. But again, in the US, women cause more accidents. Women are good at multi-tasking and draw their focus on many things, rather than focus on one situation. Men will focus on one siituation and be able to maintain control better in a more efficient manner.

In driving, women are more likely to pull their attention away from driving for minor things like staring at a billboard, putting on make-up, stare at a cute guy on the sidewalk, focus on a cell conversation, think about bills & work, a child making cutesy noises in the back seat. Men will focus on the road and the cars around them, often ignoring people & items in the car. Men's response times to braking in an emergency stop situation are several 10ths of a second faster than womens response times. However, If a male is closer to the car in front of him, those extra 10ths mean nothing. More damage will occur and often will affect the mechanical workings of the car. If a woman is further away and reacts later, she may still have some space to brake and only cause minor bumper damage. She's more likely to either not have it repaired at all or pay out of pocket to have it repaired.

Again, insurance companies have the rates & premiums in the right spot. Men cost more money in damage.

[anitract]

Speaking of women. Are there even ANY that frequent this site? What is Video, a "guy thing"?

[Shadowmistress]

Hi there.


In all honesty, I hate when I see chics do this too. If it were me, I could do it with no problem and it IS like smoking. You only need one hand to put on any type of makeup and I could do it in my sleep. (And on many hangover mornings, I have.) But I don't see the sense of doing it while actually in motion within a heavy metal object and putting other people at risk. (A stoplight on the other hand is an entirely different matter.)

I hate when women do this as much as I hate when I see men driving with a coffee and cigarette in one hand and a cell phone in the other. It's just stupid all around.

[Noahtuck]

and it IS like smoking. You only need one hand to put on any type of makeup

What the hell are you talking about
There is no way you can compare putting on makeup to smoking a cig. while driving.

Every, and i mean EVERY woman i have ever seen putting on makeup in a car, whether driving or not, always is looking in the mirror, i have never had to look into a mirror to smoke my cig.
They may only use one hand, as they are looking up into the mirror and not watching the road while they put on eye liner

And i can smoke a cig. while doing 65+ on my bike and never look into a mirror or look at my smoke, lets see a woman put on makeup doing that


And you don't even want to get me going on cell phones....
I've been saying for years those damn things should be banned while driving!!
I saw this cool study they have been doing on driving while talking on cell phones with Alan Alda on PBS last week, i won't be suprised if it does not eventualy come to them being banned.
I know i've swore at more than a few people because of dumb shit they have done because of being on a cell phone and not paying attention to driving, and came close to doing more than swearing a few times.

[Doramius]

I hate when women do this as much as I hate when I see men driving with a coffee and cigarette in one hand and a cell phone in the other. It's just stupid all around.

I've seen women do all this 'while' applying makeup. Of course I've seen men driving with a newspaper wide open in their lap and over the steering wheel. Either way, I think a ticket should be handed out to those people. Its just not safe. I'll go through a drive-thru, but I won't eat in the car. I may have my soda though. If my wife & kid are with me I don't care if they eat in the car (only the Mercury though. NOBODY EATS IN THE DURANGO! My wife already got a butt chewing when I found a french fry particle. ). I won't eat while driving. I've seen people eat or put on makeup at stops, but creep forward slowly without realizing their foot isn't securely pushing on the brake.

I was behind a woman the other day that bumped a car from behind while she was on the cell phone. No damage involved, but she hit the guys car just the same. Wasn't paying attention to applying pressure to the brake or the fact that she was sloly moving forward. The guy got out of his car to check damage, while the woman gets out and apologizes profusely (while still holding the cell phone up to her ear). THen you got 4 angry people behind me honking. Vegas drivers SUCK!!!

I have a hands free set for my cell, and even then I hate being on the cell in the car (of course I hate being on my cell or any phone for a lengthy period of time anyway). I agree with banning cell phones or making a law requiring hands free sets at the very least.

[waheed]

And you don't even want to get me going on cell phones....
I've been saying for years those damn things should be banned while driving!!

I agree with banning cell phones or making a law requiring hands free sets at the very least.

I can happily say that in the UK, there is already a ban on use of mobile phones while driving.

http://www.gmp.police.uk/mainsite/pages/roadsafetyphones.htm

But sadly, everyone still keeps doing it, no one seems to care.

[gadgetguy]

Using handsfree on a cell phone while driving is no more distracting than having a passenger in the car.
I can accept requiring hands free, but not an all out ban.

And I don't even have a cell phone.

[AlecWest]

Here's a question to ponder. Mind you, I'm not defending the woman putting on makeup while driving. But, have these cops also stopped persons who were:

1) talking on a cellphone while driving
2) drinking beverages while driving
3) wolfing down fast food while driving

???

Actually, I see no problem with "hands-free" cellphones. It's not much different than having a conversation with a passenger ... and no one is suggesting we ban in-car conversations with passengers (grin).

One note on insurance costs (women vs. men) - and this might be a wee bit Chauvinistic. I think what someone said earlier is true ... that claims by women tend to cost less because they have more fender benders than "totals" ... that men tend to have more serious accidents. But, I think there might be another reason why claims by women are cheaper than claims by men.

On the average, I suspect men are more automotively aware than women ... that they tend to know when they're being shucked and jived by a body shop or other repair facility. And while most women might take an insurance company's suggestion to visit the company's "approved" repair facility, I think most men would go elsewhere - knowing that "approved" facilities tend to get their approval by cutting corners on costs.

FWIW, in Oregon State, insurance companies are mandated by law to let insured persons "choose" their repair facility, regardless of cost. Further, insurers are mandated not to discriminate against insured persons who choose a more expensive repair scenario. And one repair company in Portland is really milking that law (grin). For example, they lump charges for a "loaner" vehicle into their repair costs ... and there isn't a darn thing the insurance company can do about it, especially since the facility refuses to sign any contract with an insurance company.

Leif's Auto Body Collision Repair

[Richie V]

Just on Thursday I was stuck behind an idiot on a dual carraige way who was texting on their phone. I've seen it happen a few times; it makes my blood boil.

[Shadowmistress]

Every, and i mean EVERY woman i have ever seen putting on makeup in a car, whether driving or not, always is looking in the mirror, i have never had to look into a mirror to smoke my cig.

I can do it, although I'll give you that most women can't. For me, it's just a carryover skill from my youth. One handed eyeliner, blush, lipstick, mascara, all without ever having to look in the mirror except for once at the end to make sure all is right. When you do it every day it just becomes second nature so you don't need to look. But again, most women aren't as efficient as I am. :P

And while most women might take an insurance company's suggestion to visit the company's "approved" repair facility, I think most men would go elsewhere - knowing that "approved" facilities tend to get their approval by cutting corners on costs.

Wow. Now, see, I didn't know and never would have thought of that. Sounds like everything you guys are saying about insurance stats are true.

[Doramius]

Insurance stats are easy to obtain. All insurance companies make research findings public for vehicle manufacture companies to use the information from. You just have to know how to find it and understand what they are saying. Crash Safety is a HUGE user of this information. When Airbags first came out, they noticed it really didn't make too much of an impact on saving lives unless you were involved in an accident where you get hit in the front.

The area where there are the highest number of reported accidents is intersections, when someone is making a left-hand turn. Known as the T-bone or broadside accident, these can be fatal at low speeds. From the data insurance companies provide, crash test people came up with side impact airbags and reinforced side-door support.

[MackemX]

aren't annoying litle brats fighting in the back seat also distracting for some drivers?

[MackemX]

I don't use WMP 10 and that link tells you to install it. WTF, why should they tell me what player I use to watch videos? . For future reference, is there any way I don't have to use WMP 10 to see that video?

this link I came across for SKY News worked fine though it was a bit jumpy at first. That's why I came here to post as I knew I'd seen it somewhere

it looks like she was only fined £200 and got 6 points as she had already been banned after the offence but previous to the court date for something else

http://www.sky.com/skynews/video/videoplayer/0,,31200-trafficcamlive_1430,00.html

what about swapping CD's while driving? Most people store their CD's in the glovebox and stretch across

there's plenty of distracting things to do while driving and I'll admit I've done a lot of them . I've done silly things like driving along munching on my Big Mac in my old days or had my mate steer while I do something. Before I get jumped on by the goody 2 shoe patrol for being irresponsible, very few people here will be 'perfect' drivers (or perfect anything else for that matter). So let's just give it a miss and save the crap eh? (notice the 'old days' part ).

If anyone still thinks I'm a useless irresponsible driver then that's cool but just a few years ago I passed my advanced driving test with ease on my way to studying to become a driving instructor. It doesn't make me any better a driver but at least I have some driving skills unlike some people I see on the roads :O. I always wanted to be a racing driver as I'm great at go-karting

saying all that though, even with 2 hands on the wheel and looking straight ahead, some people are still a danger on the roads and it's amazing how they even passed their test in the first place

[AlecWest]

I don't use WMP 10 and that link tells you to install it. WTF, why should they tell me what player I use to watch videos? . For future reference, is there any way I don't have to use WMP 10 to see that video?

I've never run into that problem when browsing on my XP partition (WMP9 installed). But, I run into it all the time when browsing on my 98SE partition (Media Player Classic installed). If there's a video I really want to see, I just download it with Net Transport ... and Media Player Classic has never failed to open such a file.

BTW, when I downloaded the file, Media Player Classic said it was a WMP9 file. I did a quickie conversion to WMP7 and uploaded it here if you want to watch it:

http://68.178.143.167/traffic.wmv

FWIW, after watching the video, I think they may have been a bit unfair ... unless the video they showed was merely an excerpt. The announcer said it caught her driving with neither hand on the steering wheel. But, in no case did I see both hands. Heck, when I drive on a straightaway, I usually drive with both hands on the lower part of the steering wheel. And, to someone just looking through my windshield or side windows, there's no way they could tell if I had my hands on or off the steering wheel.

I just hope they don't put those cameras up in my locale. Otherwise, I'll have to stop dry-shaving on the way to work.

[MackemX]

thanks for the file Alec . Is that the link I had just now or was it the NBC link? That is the same video as I have seen from Sky News but it was the NBC link that wouldn't work for me

that Net Transport looks interesting as I was looking for someting to download files I couldn't watch 8)

as for the girl in the video, she doesn't have her other hand fully on the wheel but she may have some part of her arm on it. You can't really see it but she's holding her compact mirror in her left hand and you can just see something white (just below the rim of steering wheel). She also looks into the mirror if you watch closely

I sometimes drive with my hands low also and sometimes with one on the top in the middle of the wheel, probably looking like a right idiot :P

[AlecWest]

thanks for the file Alec . Is that the link I had just now or was it the NBC link? That is the same video as I have seen from Sky News but it was the NBC link that wouldn't work for me

The MSNBC video link is "buried" in a bunch of javascript. There's no "embed" command on the page. I suspect there's a way to download the file but someone would have to "extrapolate" the file's location by trudging through the javascript commands.

BTW, on my 98SE side (only Media Player Classic installed), the MSNBC video played just fine ... but had to be launched using Internet Explorer. My Mozilla gave me the IE6 and WMP10 message ... which is probably what you got. I suspect Netscape and Firefox users get the same message, too.

that Net Transport looks interesting as I was looking for someting to download files I couldn't watch 8)

One note on Net Transport. The last truly "freeware" version was 1.87. Oddly, after trying later versions, they don't seem to be capable of doing anything that 1.87 can't already do. So, if you want to do without the nag screens and such, 1.87 is your best bet. I put it up on my domain and will send you the link for it via PM.

as for the girl in the video, she doesn't have her other hand fully on the wheel but she may have some part of her arm on it. You can't really see it but she's holding her compact mirror in her left hand and you can just see something white (just below the rim of steering wheel). She also looks into the mirror if you watch closely

Well, she's on a straightaway. The mirror is probably part of a compact ... and it could be resting on her lap, braced by the steering wheel. Like you said, no one can really see her holding the compact. Maybe she wasn't. In any case, the one thing the news story mentioned was that she didn't show up in court to tell her side of the story ... so the judgment against her was a summary judgment (that might be unfair). Oh well...

[MackemX]

thanks for the Net Transport Alex 8)

did you hear that she'd already been banned for something else before that court case?

I wonder what she had done?

maybe she was painting her toe nails?

[AlecWest]

thanks for the Net Transport Alex 8)

did you hear that she'd already been banned for something else before that court case?

I wonder what she had done?

maybe she was painting her toe nails?

...or, maybe she was shaving her ... nah, better not go there. I'd LIKE to go there (grin) but better not.

BTW, I have dry-shaved while driving, drank coffee while driving, wolfed down a burger while driving ... with one hand on the bottom of the steering wheel. I suspect she figured she'd be screwed in court anyway and that going to court would simply be a waste of her time. I also suspect she'll be back on the road again, regardless of any ban.

[Doramius]

You have to have a hand off the steering wheel if you have a manual transmission car, especially in city driving. But the problem is someone driving a manual transmission car with a burger in one and and a razor in the other, with both hands clearly visible? Common sight in Vegas, but so are accidents. :/

[AlecWest]

Seems like a Chicago suburb is following suit with their own Draconian law prohibiting "distracted driving." Here's the ABC News video on it (preceded by an obligatory commercial):

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=1741092