According to the BBC, motorist Keith Pemberton, has been given three penalty points by police for driving while eating a sandwich. Cheshire constabulary are quoted as saying: "He cannot have had full control of his vehicle if he was eating a sandwich at the same time."

Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign(www.safespeed.org.uk) said: "Cases like this illustrate the gulf between 'official road safety' and real road safety. It is vital that drivers are in proper control of their vehicles, but proper control is a state of mind, not a simple matter of what drivers are doing with their hands."

"The problem is that driving is largely a subconscious and highly skilled activity. The authorities can't see it or define it, so instead they seize upon what they can see."

"Eating a sandwich while driving can be safe or dangerous. It depends on the circumstances and what the driver is paying attention to."

"Road safety is in a very bad way - the authorities need to move away from their over-simplified dogma and start asking skilled drivers what is safe and what is not. The gap is enormous."