Embracing While Driving Can Get You More Than a Traffic Ticket
We've all been there - in the car with a loved one. But is it lawful to "hook up" with the driver of a vehicle?
Last week, a Washington State Trooper pulled over the driver of an alleged drifting SUV on I-90. The vehicle's occupants were naked, leading the Trooper to believe that an act of physical intimacy had occurred while the vehicle was in motion. In this case, the driver was charged with DUI and the passenger with being a minor in possession of alcohol.
However, the couple were not cited under the "embracing" statute. But what if the couple had been hooking up while the car was moving?
In Washington, "Embracing Another While Driving" is actually considered prima facie evidence of reckless driving, a gross misdemeanor that is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. The operator must have "in his or her embrace another person which prevents the free and unhampered operation of such vehicle." It seems, however, that a passenger could embrace an operator, as the passenger is not the operator of the vehicle, and hence the passenger is not embracing and driving at the same time. So if you're a driver in Washington, do not embrace others while driving, and if someone embraces you while driving, drive carefully!
