London - As slip-ups go, it was hardly a big one. So when UK motorist Elsa Harris was fined £100 (R2374) for peeling a banana at the wheel in a traffic jam, she was outraged and refused to pay it.
But she has ended up paying dearly for the forbidden fruit – as magistrates have upped the fine to £145 (R3442), and put three points on her licence, leaving her with a criminal record.
Now Miss Harris, 45, has said her insurance premiums have risen by 40 percent thanks “to the most expensive banana of her life”.
And she is angered by the fact she was found guilty of driving without due care and attention – the same offence as those who knock pedestrians over.
The single mother, from Christchurch, Dorset, said: “I thought the whole thing was completely outrageous which is why I decided to challenge it in court. But after speaking to a friend who is a solicitor she advised me to just plead guilty because she said I would
never win. I just feel the whole thing is a joke.”
Carer Miss Harris said she had already half-peeled the banana at home before she got into her car to drive to work last June.
But after eating half of it, she had to unpeel it further to finish off the rest and she waited until she stopped in traffic to do so.
Moments later a police officer in an unmarked car pulled in front of her and told her she was a danger to other road users as she had both hands off the wheel.
After she refused to pay the on-the-spot fine of £100, her case was sent to court in Weymouth, where last week magistrates fined her £145 and put three penalty points on her licence.
Although eating while driving is not a specific offence, a motorist could be judged to be distracted or failing to operate their vehicle correctly because they are eating.
Miss Harris said: “I was dumbfounded at the time. I was completely unaware I had done anything wrong.
“The officer said I was driving without my hands on the wheel and that I was a danger to other drivers.
“Understandably, it is illegal to take both hands off the wheel but I didn’t think I was a danger to anybody. I have never been in trouble with the police before and a warning should have sufficed.”
A Dorset Police statement said: “The driver had been seen peeling a banana whilst driving with no hands on the steering wheel, risking the safety of other road users.”
Daily Mail