In fact, she was doing nothing more

In fact, she was doing nothing more sinister than eating an apple. Police nevertheless issued her with a £30 ticket, saying she was not in proper control of her car. The 23-year-old from Hebburn, in the North-East, decided to fight back and appealed, but was nevertheless convicted by magistrates.
Her solicitor said the case was “nonsensical” as she had carried out the manoeuvre “perfectly” but the chairman of the bench said: “We accept that there are times when you can drive with one hand but, in holding an apple while negotiating a left-hand turn, we consider you not to have been in full control.”
Stranger still was the case of a man fined for blowing his nose. When Michael Mancini found himself stuck in a queue of traffic with a runny nose, he instinctively reached for his handkerchief.
The simple act of pulling out a tissue and blowing his nose earned him a £60 fine because he was “not in proper control of his vehicle”.
Policeman Stuart Gray (known as PC Shiny Buttons because of his zealous approach) also handed out three penalty points, even though Mancini had the handbrake on at the time.
The case echoes that of salesman Keith Pemberton, from Cheshire, who was fined £60 for eating a sandwich at the wheel in March 2007. In 2008, Ediri Tsekiri was fined £60 in Liverpool for not being in control of her vehicle.
She, too, was eating a sandwich. Company director Gary Saunders was stopped in the same city for laughing while driving in 2009, but escaped with a ticking-off.
Motoring, clearly, is not a laughing matter - but justice can prevail. Mr Mancini took his protest to court and the procurator fiscal in Ayr decided not to prosecute. “I knew it would cost me hiring a lawyer but it was worth it out of principle,” said Mr Mancini.
Kevin Story was spotted by police munching a KitKat on the M3 and (are the words beginning to sound familiar?) issued with a fine for “not being in control of his vehicle”. Police later gave him a break and said the fine would be quashed as it was “inappropriate”.
Hampshire’s Assistant Chief Constable Colin Smith said: “We accept that the issue of a fixed penalty ticket, while intended to promote road safety, was inappropriate action by a well-meaning policeman.
"Officers usually deal sensitively and with common sense. If we are found to be over-zealous, we are more than happy to admit that officers are human and sometimes make mistakes.”
Is this true? It seems so.
The AA advises drivers stopped by police to be courteous and not to challenge them. It says that nine times out of 10 no action will be taken.
“In the light-flashing case, the driver said the police officer did not let him off with a warning because he 'challenged’ him,” says Edmund King.
“We urge drivers to keep their cool and police not to overreact to minor misdemeanours. It would save everybody an awful lot of time and money.”

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