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South Forsyth driver cited for watching How I Met Your Mother while traveling in school zone
driver

SOUTH FORSYTH — In this day and age, people can stream their favorite TV shows whenever and wherever they want, though one Suwanee driver might want to reconsider his viewing habits.

The 48-year-old man was recently cited for reckless driving after a Forsyth County Sheriff’s deputy caught him watching a TV show while passing through an active school and construction zone at 8 a.m. on a Monday.

The deputy was reportedly directing traffic in the school zone by Johns Creek Elementary on Old Atlanta Road when he noticed a Toyota Prius pass by with an iPhone mounted on the dashboard “directly above his steering wheel.”

According to a report from the April 18 incident, the deputy later observed the phone was in the driver’s direct line of sight.

In the report, the deputy noted that the road was also a construction zone “with workers present and working on the roadway.”

“I was wearing a reflective vest, orange reflective gloves and equipped with a traffic whistle,” he wrote. “My emergency lights on my marked patrol vehicle were activated.

“As he passed me, I observed that the phone was on with a television show playing … I also saw that [the driver] was looking at the phone and not at the road,” the report said.

The driver supposedly moved his phone from the dashboard mount as he pulled over for the deputy, who was on foot.

When the deputy asked the man what he had been watching, the driver replied that it was the comedy show “How I Met Your Mother.”

The deputy asked the man to unlock his phone. When he did, the screen showed the “Slapsgiving” episode from the sitcom’s third season.

After reportedly admitting his actions were dangerous, the man was issued a reckless driving citation.