Police reveal the things people do while driving

DODGY drivers have been caught using laptops, rolling cigarettes and putting on make-up, police records have revealed.

Reading, eating and even holding a dog under the arm are also among the offences which have seen motorists fined in the year to October 2012.

Devon and Cornwall Police released a list of the 70 offences of drivers not having "proper control" of their vehicle, and a further six drivers were caught while not having a "full view" of the road ahead.

The roadside fixed penalty notices carry a £60 fine and three penalty points on a driving licence, while motorists can also be summonsed to court.

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Details released by the force under the Freedom of Information Act revealed the variety of offences for which drivers and motorcycles were stopped and fined.

They included 14 people texting or reading their mobile phone while behind the wheel, four people holding a dog under their arm or on their lap and five who were eating or drinking.

Two drivers were caught writing, one applying make-up with both hands and three rolling a cigarette.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Driving a motor vehicle takes a great deal of concentration and many collisions are blamed on a momentary lapse of concentration.

"If you add into that distractions which are wholly avoidable, then you are going to vastly increase people's chances of being involved in an accident.

"Would any of those who received a fixed penalty notice have done these things during the course of their driving test?

"If the answer to that is no, which it obviously is, then they should not behave like this on the public road."

Other drivers and riders issued with tickets were caught reading, performing skids and wheelies, and using MP3 players or computers.

Two of those deemed not to have a "full view" were caught with laptops on their dashboard while one was seen reading the address on a large parcel.

The force spokesman said people were "well aware" that holding and using a mobile phone while driving was an offence.

But he said modern MP3 players were also a distraction and "just as dangerous".