Google Glass User Gets A Ticket For ‘Driving With Monitor Visible To Driver’

[onehandle]

A Google Glass user in California may have become the first to get a ticket for using the wearable while driving. Cecilia Adabie was stopped by a Highway Patrol officer last night then summoned to the superior court for “driving with monitor visible to driver.”

The ticket has sparked debate over whether or not it should be legal to use Google Glass while behind the wheel.

It’s worth pointing out that Adabie was originally pulled over for speeding, not specifically for wearing Google Glass — but after the officer spotted the device he added that to the ticket, too. As things stand, it’s not completely clear whether Google Glass should be allowed on the road, but many are demanding clearer rules before the device is made available to the public.

Some argue that Glass isn’t a distraction, and no different to using a dedicated satellite navigation system. But several states have already passed laws against Glass on the road, including Delaware and West Virginia. The U.K.’s Department for Transport has also taken preemptive action against the device.

http://www.cultofandroid.com/43993/google-glass-user-gets-a-ticket-for-driving-with-monitor-visible-to-driver

[Cooley Hurd]

1. interesting... HUD is used to aid pilots...

...However Google Glasses are not technically a HUD device since things unrelated to the driver's tasks at hand can be displayed (ie a distraction)..

[jakeXT]

4. Just like the TV / DVD video function only works when the car stops (traffic lights etc)

[Xithras]

5. Properly integrated, Glass-like devices could be a game changing breakthrough in driving safety.

There are already a handful of startups working on technology that will allow them to do everything from outline and enhance sight in low visibility conditions to highlighting traffic hazards in less time than it takes for the human brain to even perceive them. Imagine driving in the fog and having the distance and relative speed of the car in front of you displayed on your windshield...even if you can't actually see the car with your own eyes. Or having the computer detect a small child running toward the roadway, and the glasses flash an alert at the spot where the child is about to appear in front of your car. Or, imagine that they've detected your eyes closing, so they crank up the radio to wake you up and automatically display the nearest location where you can safely pull your car off the road and catch a bit of sleep.

Knee jerk luddites are trying to kill this technology before it's even been fully developed, or its potential benefits have even been completely explored.

[Orrex]

8. The key is "properly integrated"

No one doubts the value of a properly integrated safety technology, but Google Glass ain't it, at least not yet. And arguments about what the technology might do in a year or two or five are irrelevant to the citation issued in this case.

[lumberjack_jeff]

6. If the pilot was using his HUD to keep up with facebook, it'd be easy to see the problem. n/t

[onehandle]

7. My car has a HUD. In a fixed, low, predictable fashion. Not floating randomly as I turn my head.

And not displaying texts, Tweets, Facebook Pokes, or a 'twerking' pop singer.

[jon10]

2. good - device distraction is no better than DUI nt

[arcane1]

3. "no different to using a dedicated satellite navigation system"??

Can you search the internet and watch videos with a dedicated satellite navigation system?

[Xithras]

9. Ever use your phone as a GPS?

Under California law it is perfectly legal to have a mobile device within view, so long as you aren't using it. Under this officers interpretation, having a cellphone sitting on the seat next to you, in a dashboard mount, or on a windscreen mount would be illegal. All of those locations are legal under state law, and state law actually authorizes the lower-left corner of the windshield as a mounting location for mobile devices if they are being used for navigation. More importantly, the vehicle code that the officer cited ONLY applies if the device is turned on and being used for the viewing of "entertainment or business applications or content".

Unless the officer had evidence that the driver was misusing the device, it is not a citeable offense to simply have it visible under California law. In fact, under the section he cited, it would be perfectly legal for drivers to use Google Glass as a mapping or navigation tool. The ticket will be tossed by a judge if the officer can't prove that she wasn't.

[Blue_Tires]

10. In all seriousness: Do you work for Apple?

CAN you help me get hired??

[MineralMan]

11. Interesting. Heads-up Displays are beginning

to appear in new cars, and Garmin offers a heads-up display for mapping you can install. The auto makers are excited about this feature. They can charge big bucks for it, so it will appear first on luxury cars. Google Glass is a heads-up display you wear.

[jmowreader]

12. And what it mostly displays are cat videos

[ChisolmTrailDem]

13. It's really simple...

You are in your car to DRIVE!

Leave other stuff alone and freakin' DRIVE!