He was turning right from Mannheim Street in Kambah on to Sulwood Drive, while going at it like a Gillette man on a mission.

It was obviously a battery-operated shaver. There was no brush or foam involved. But he was into it, one hand on the wheel, one on the shaver, rolling it all over his face, turning on to a busy road. As. He. Was. Shaving.

Let's just acknowledge, firstly, that this intersection is already the seventh circle of hell in peak hour. Turning right on to Sulwood Drive, with its 80km/h speed limit, from the suburban Mannheim Street, often becomes a perilous game of flooring it and hoping for the best. So shaving while negotiating the intersection? Not ideal.

At the very worst, it could cause a serious accident; at the very least, it could also cop you a $203 fine.

We've all seen people doing the wrong thing while they're driving, and it's not just using a mobile phone.

Eating while you're driving or applying make-up at the traffic lights could also potentially see you fined.

ACT Policing says it all comes under the "drive without proper control of vehicle" offence in which a fine of $203 can be enforced.

"Driver distraction is any action that takes a driver's attention away from the road and on to other elements in their environment, such as using a mobile phone or performing other tasks in the vehicle. Research shows that driver distraction is a significant contributing factor in relation to serious motor vehicle collisions. Drivers must pay attention to the road at all times, regardless if the vehicle is moving or stationary," ACT Policing said in a statement.

"If the action of eating or drinking causes a driver to drive without proper control of their vehicle, the action of eating/drinking has caused a distraction to the driver.

"Anything that distracts a driver from being able to maintain control of a vehicle is dangerous and should be avoided where possible, this can include actions such as eating, applying make-up, and personal grooming.''

And don't do a Britney Spears and drive with a dog on your lap (or a baby, for that matter). There is a specific offence for driving with a person/animal in your lap which comes with a fine of $203.

Using the phone on loud speaker is not kosher either.

"If you drive with the phone in your lap on loud speaker, or wedged between your ear and shoulder then you may receive a traffic infringement notice," ACT Policing said.

"The most appropriate place to make or receive a telephone call is on the side of the road when your vehicle is stationary. This doesn't mean that you can make a call or use your telephone while waiting in a queue at a set of traffic lights.

"Generally, a conversation in a vehicle between driver and passengers/children would not result in a fine. If the conversation causes the driver to be distracted and they drive without proper control of their vehicle, or take their attention away from the road and their surroundings, it may result in a fine."

A driver using a handheld mobile phone can cop a fine of $480 and three demerit points; a driver using a mobile phone for messaging, social networking, mobile application or accessing the internet can be fined $589 and get four demerit points.

Maybe we're starting to get the message on mobile phone use, at least.

ACT Policing says there were 1398 "using mobile phones while driving" traffic infringement notices issued in 2018, 1098 in 2019 and 812 in 2020.

A downward trend is good, even though it might be Covid-related last year when a lot of people were driving less. Regardless, put down the phone, the mascara wand, the shaver, the bowl of cereal when you're driving.

Take the ever-sage advice Evonne gave Darryl Kerrigan in that seminal piece, The Castle: "Get your hand off it, Darryl". Quite.