California Court Says It’s Illegal to Look at Maps on Your Smartphone When Driving

[Maura]

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MacRumors writes today about a recent court ruling in California that clarifies what has been a bit of a grey area as regards the use of cell phones in cars. The ruling came from the California Court of Appeals, and says that using a mobile phone to check or update a map or GPS app is a violation of California State’s distracted driving law, or, to give it its formal title, Vehicle Code 23123. MacRumors points out that this law was first drawn up in order to stop the danger of people texting and driving, or making calls on their mobile phone while driving, but now, with the growth of GPS and mapping apps, this new definition has been needed. The new ruling came about as a result of a driver being cited under the act, who then claimed that he should be let off as he had been using his phone to check directions, rather than to talk on the phone or send a text. MacRumors clarifies that the ruling does not refer to using normal in-car sat navs, only to using sat nav apps on a mobile phone. They also say that it is still within the law to access the Maps app when driving using Siri’s handsfree GPS feature. [/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]Source:[/FONT] California Court Rules Anti-Texting Laws Apply to Checking Maps While Driving - Mac Rumors

 

[willerz2]

It should be illegal everywhere. You don't pay attention to the road and you swerve to the side while looking for directions or at your map. There's turn-by-turn as well so you wouldn't need to hold it in your hands and look at the map. The little investment of a phone holder with the little glass suction thingy is definitely worth it if you use your iPhone or iPad as a GPS.

 

[Darkstar2007]

It should be illegal everywhere. You don't pay attention to the road and you swerve to the side while looking for directions or at your map. There's turn-by-turn as well so you wouldn't need to hold it in your hands and look at the map. The little investment of a phone holder with the little glass suction thingy is definitely worth it if you use your iPhone or iPad as a GPS.

This times 100. I've tried staring at my maps app once and realized I was swerving all over the road. I sit my phone down and went into the nearest Walmart and bought a phone holder that has a weight attached to the bottom. It sits on my dash nicely and doesn't move whenever I turn or stop all of the sudden. Definitely worth $17 vs wrecking and hurting myself or someone else sharing the road.

 

[KevinJS]

We need Picture in Picture, so that we can look at maps while using the phone camera to see a tiny view of the road in a corner of the screen. It seems to me that would be more of the road than half of the morons usually look at.

 

[willerz2]

But even with the holder and such, you'd still have drivers who would keep all focus on their device rather than on the road. Using peripheral vision to either view the device or on the road isn't that hard. Just last week on my way out to Philly from the city, I'm just cruising down the fast lane, and I see the phone attached to a holder on the dashboard in front of me. I could actually see him turning his head directly towards the phone and not look at the road. So I decide to cut him, and he just swerves out onto my lane and runs into me.

I mean, seriously, one, if you have a smartphone and are using the map app, they have voice navigation. Two, you shouldn't be shifting your head directly in front of the phone to view the map, it should be placed where you can see it without having to shift your head or turn your head at all but not in a way that blocks your view of the road. Three, if you're not used to the road, don't go for the fast lanes, park on the side and look at your phone, THEN keep going. Just because you don't feel like going home ever does not mean that others don't....

He dents my rear passenger door and says that it's my fault for not knowing how to drive. Seriously. Yes, getting myself out of danger shows that I can't drive, but shifting my head away from the view of the road and swerving into another lane at 60 and running into someone else is knowing how to drive.