Cops pulled over Nashville mom for using her ‘phone’ — then realized what she was really holding
Strauss was driving in Tennessee with her kid while being 32 weeks pregnant, when the cops asked her pull over to the side of the road.
Distracted driving is on the rise across the US, and law enforcement officers are trying their best to curb it. However, when they pulled over a Nashville mom recently for the same, they might not have imagined what they were about to witness. Hannah Strauss (@hannahgstrauss) was pulled over for using her 'phone' while driving. She held up some beef sticks, which left both of them quite embarrassed. The video racked a whopping 4.9 million views and nearly 592 thousand likes.
@hannahgstrauss He said it was going down as the funniest reason he pulled someone over. (Also apologies for all the “likes” I was still kind of in shock 😅) #tennessee #storytimes #funnystorytime #policestorytime #nashvilletn ♬ original sound - Hannah Strauss
Woman gets pulled over for distracted driving
It all started when Strauss was driving in Tennessee with her kid while being 32 weeks pregnant. She couldn't control her cravings, so she started munching on a few beef sticks with her daughter as they drove along. A police car passed by, but they didn't think much of it and continued down the road. Within seconds, a police car turned on the lights and signalled her to pull over to the side of the road. Two police officers walked up to her car and questioned her, assuming she was aware of the issue.
However, she was clueless, having done no wrong. After pressing her a couple of times, the officers stated that she was driving while using her phone. So, she quickly responded, "You mean I was eating a beef stick?" The police officers then asked her if she was sure, so she pulled up a packet of beef sticks she and her daughter were eating. Initially, they didn't believe her until she pointed out that she had Bluetooth in her car, so why would she be using her phone anyway? After which, the officers finally let her go off with just a warning, reminding her that eating while driving could be distracting as well.
Distracted driving a huge issue across the U.S.
Nonetheless, while this Nashville mother wasn't using her phone while driving, distraction behind the wheel is far more common than most people realize. In fact, Americans admit to engaging in an average of 10 of the 27 distracted behaviors in the past year, yet many still believe they're more attentive than the average driver. However, the stats should open their eyes. 3,275 people were killed, and 289,310 were injured in distraction-affected crashes in 2023. That means 9 deaths and 890 injuries every single day, as per Mercury Insurance.
Moreover, nearly 8% of fatal crashes, 13% of injury crashes, and 13% of all police-reported crashes in 2023 were reported as distraction-affected. Younger drivers seemingly seem to be affected the most, with the highest proportion of distracted drivers coming from the 15-20 age group, with nearly 23% accounted for distracted drivers, including 24% cellphone distracted drivers in fatal crashes. That's why law enforcement is getting stricter by the day, trying to keep people away from using their phones on the road.
Pulled over for eating a pickle!
"Hands Free Tennessee Law. If you even look like you are holding a phone, they will pull you over here," @Mom wrote after hearing the entire incident. Meanwhile, @Daniellcrochets narrated her own face-off with the law enforcement for a similar reason. "I got pulled over for eating a pickle when I was pregnant, leaving the grocery store parking lot because they also thought I was talking on a phone. I also was holding it like you because it was a half pickle lol!!!" She commented.
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