Google sets roadblocks to stop distracted driver legislation
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(Reuters) - Google is lobbying officials in at least three U.S. states to stop proposed restrictions on driving with headsets such as Google Glass, marking some of the first clashes over the nascent wearable technology.
Some eight U.S. states are considering regulation of Google Glass, a tiny computer screen mounted in the corner of an eyeglass frame. Law enforcement and other groups are concerned that drivers wearing the devices will pay more attention to their email than the road, causing serious accidents.
So-called wearables such as Google Glass, smart watches and sophisticated health devices may represent the next big shift in technology, just as smartphones evolved from personal computers, and enthusiasts predict billion-dollar markets. Google, which is still testing Glass, charges $1,500 per pair.
Google Inc has deployed lobbyists to persuade elected officials in Illinois, Delaware and Missouri that it is not necessary to restrict use of Google Glass behind the wheel, according to state lobbying disclosure records and interviews conducted by Reuters.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/25/us-google-glass-lobbying-idUSBREA1O0P920140225
A reminder that Google is the biggest tech lobbyist in history. They want to allow multiple screens, floating in front of drivers' eyes, plus pop-up messages and ads, while they drive at highway speed, on the same highways your children and grandchildren are on.
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Using Google Glass While Driving Is A Terrible Idea
Even if using Google Glass behind-the-wheel remains legal, it won't matter because Glass is useless in sunlight.
The Verge's Sean Hollister recently tried Glass while driving, and it wasn't pretty. The big hope for Glass was that it would provide you with hands-free phone calls, text messages, and directions.
But it does not, according to Hollister. "While I loved having turn-by-turn directions from Google Maps navigation floating in my peripheral vision, the display wasn't bright enough for me to see those directions while looking out the windshield of my car," Hollister writes. "I had to glance up towards the car's ceiling, or place a hand behind the cube to see where I was going."
Read that last quote again. To properly see Google Glass while driving, you have to put a hand in front of half your face.
That is not safe!
http://www.businessinsider.com/google-glass-is-useless-in-a-car-2013-5
