A hungry P-plater has been left with a hole in his bank balance after being busted allegedly buttering a bagel while steering his car with his knees

Bodycam footage shared by Queensland Police shows the 29-year-old being pulled over in a silver Honda HR-V in the Toowoomba suburb of Newtown around 3.50pm on Monday.

The sergeant first confirms the driver is a P-plater, before asking him:

“Can you explain to me why, in four lanes of traffic that’s quite busy at this time of day, that you thought steering a motor vehicle on your Ps with your knees while you butter a bagel would be a great idea?”

The driver responds: “I know that was stupid but I was hungry – [I’ve] have been working since this morning.”

The bagel proved to be a costly snack, with the police officer then revealing the original reason he was prompted to pull over the P-plater.

“There is some more bad news for you, sir: The registration on your vehicle has expired. It expired three days ago.”

The Glenvale man was fined $1104 and lost three demerit points after being issued with a traffic infringement notice for driving without due care and attention and driving an unregistered vehicle.

Darling Downs District Officer Acting Superintendent Kelly Hanlen used the incident to warn drivers about the potentially serious consequences of taking their hands and focus away from the task of driving – “even for something as seemingly harmless like preparing food”.

“I want to remind motorists there is no meal, message or other distraction worth risking your safety or the safety of other road users,” Hanlen said.

“If you’re driving, keep your attention on the road and your hands where they belong – on the wheel.”