Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
It's irrelevant how long the train is. The issue is that British law requires you to be in control of your vehicle at all times when it's on the road, and hence doing things like reading, using a mobile phone, or even drinking from a bottle of water, are all illegal while stopped at traffic lights, railway crossings, and so on.
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When you're waiting 20 minutes or more for a train to go by, you can turn off the engine and read and still be completely in control of your car. And when you're sitting in a line of cars that may extend for a couple of miles, I hope the police have better things to do than ticket people for reading while they wait, even if they could physically get to you.
(I can imagine several similar situations, such as waiting for a draw bridge or in a ferry line.)
That being said, in my own state there are specific laws about texting and cell phones but none (to my knowledge) about reading. There are, however, the all-encompassing negligent or reckless driving laws that could be applied if an officer noticed you trying to read while driving. I'm surprised about the drinking ban in the UK - every car has cupholders, and many people sip on a beverage while they drive.