Navigating while driving and other smart phone uses not prohibited by law
A California Appellate court overturned a traffic ticket issued to driver using his smartphone to find an alternate route. According to the ruling, the California law narrowly prohibited the use of the phone for talking and texting, but not merely consulting the device. Like other states, California only permits hand free use of phones.
The ruling may be appealed by the state. The plaintiff’s attorney suggests that the 2006 statue could be updated and broadened. But that could leave the state still in a quandary, because there would be an outcry if the state attempted to ban distracted driving itself. That category includes in-car eating, in-car drinking, tuning the radio, checking maps, and now, apparently, consulting smart phone maps. Perhaps these activities will be permitted in autonomous vehicles. In the meantime, bemused law enforcement agencies are trying to determine how they can enforcement the current law. Time for some new technology?