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The Law Blogger is a law-related blog that informs and discusses current matters of legal interest to readers of The Oakland Press and to consumers of legal services in the community. We hope readers will find it entertaining but also informative. The Law Blogger does not, however, impart legal advice, as only attorneys are licensed to provide legal counsel.
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Driving While Distracted By Google Glasses

By: Timothy P. Flynn

I swear, for years I have been joking with colleagues about the inevitable computer chips and technological devices that will be available for surgical implants into our skulls. Are we really that far off?

To be sure, implants are one thing, and glasses, say, Google Glasses, for example, are another thing altogether. Much less intrusive. But when it comes to driving a vehicle, the potential for distraction when wearing and operating these glasses is obvious.

Recently, a driver in San Diego was ticketed for speeding. When the officer pulled the driver over, she was wearing a pair of Google Glasses. While she advised the officer that she was not actually using the glasses, her ticket (see below) is believed to be the very first to reference Google Glasses as the specific mode of distraction.

For the record, Google Glasses are a device that allows a person to access the Internet, emails, streaming videos, as well as to take video recordings, all through the medium of a pair of specially designed glasses manufactured by Google. There is a small display that projects onto the lens of these special glasses.

In the modern era of high-speed traffic combined with plenty of opportunity for distraction such as texting, computerized dashboards, in-vehicle touch-screen navigation, and now, Google Glasses, the NTSB and law enforcement organizations are tracking the rise in distraction-related accidents.

Texting while driving now constitutes a separate and distinct violation in most jurisdictions throughout the country. Every year, however, new technology comes out making it tempting to multi-task while driving.

The state legislatures will undoubtedly continue to amend their motor vehicle codes to outlaw such dangerous driving practices. Perhaps they will legislate an exception whereby a person operating a Google car can use and simultaneously operate a pair of Google Glasses. But remember, those Google cars drive themselves; the passengers can just sit back and enjoy the scenery while accessing the web via their Google Glasses.

Go ahead, be productive throughout your day; just don't put the rest of us at risk when you are on the road.