I don't wear makeup. Maybe I should.  There are tons of makeup products for men on the market these days. I sometimes notice disturbing things about myself; when I look in the rearview mirror, and the sunlight is shining in just right,  Especially with all that extra time I seem to get waiting for some of those seemingly impossibly long stoplights on Bryant.

For example, sometimes, I see long hair growing on my ear. How did I miss that before getting in the car?  Or what about the occasional wild-looking nose hair or something even worse showing in your nose? Why does this always happen when I'm on the way to an important meeting and running late?

Seeing this while driving can be very disconcerting.

With that in mind, I understand why some women must apply makeup or lipstick while stopped at a stoplight. Anyone applying cosmetic products while driving risks a ticket in Texas for distracted driving.

Yet, according to Find Law, there are no laws that explicitly ban applying makeup while driving. There are also no laws that ban eating while driving. Doing either, can still get you a ticket in Texas for distracted driving, even if you're stopped at a stoplight.

 

According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are three main types of distracted driving.

Visual: taking your eyes off the road

Manual: taking your hands off the wheel

Cognitive: taking your mind off driving.

Teen Driver - Adjusting Mirror
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Applying makeup satisfies all three.  Eating a burrito or chili also qualifies. Police officers will pull you over for these activities. There is even a case in Nevada where a woman received a $200 distracted driving ticket for putting on lip balm.

While no laws explicitly forbid putting on makeup or eating a cheeseburger while driving exist in Texas, either or both can be illegal if doing so causes you to drive distracted. With Texas way ahead of almost all other states in traffic fatalities, keeping your eyes on the road is a good idea even if you notice extra long hair growing on your ear.

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