I’ve heard some pretty odd things in my time, but I hope this is merely over the top Hyperbole.

The Detroit News ran an article yesterday about careless and distracted drivers, and the danger they present on the road. They give several real world examples and then give several that just can’t be true, like this one.

Typically, a driver crooning love songs into his cell phone while strumming a banjo also will be weaving, speeding or slogging along too slowly. Assuming his driving is adequate, he might get cited anyway for not keeping one hand on the steering wheel.

With a careless-driving citation, the banjo player “might actually win if he tried to fight it,” McKelvey says. It depends on how a judge interprets the definition, “a careless or negligent manner likely to endanger any person or property.”

Of course he’s being “careless” and “negligent” by strumming a banjo rather than learning a 3-finger roll!

NOTE: Terry Baucom is not in the habit of driving while playing the banjo, but he is in the habit of playing the banjo with drive!