Posted on 04/08/2013 7:07:04 PM PDT by Olog-hai
Steven Spriggs was stopped in a traffic jam near downtown Fresno and thought nothing of whipping out his iPhone 4 and clicking on the map feature to see if there was an alternate route around the construction mess.
He was startled when he looked up and saw a California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer ordering him to pull over. He showed the officer that he was looking at a map and not texting or talking.
“Pull over,” Spriggs recalled the officer as saying. “It’s in your hand.”
A little more than a year later, Spriggs is at the heart of a novel court case that has technology blogs and social media sites buzzing about the $160 ticket plus court costs he was ordered to pay for “distracted driving.” …
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
I see the cops’ point, but this is certainly no more distracting than trying to follow a paper map.
Texting, OTOH, I agree is totally unacceptable while driving. Found this out after a very close call myself.
Don’t do it.
Ironic that cops use all kinds of devices while they drive.
Oh but they’re trained and professional drivers /droll sarcasm
Except Reason and some common sense don’t forget they are really just revenue collectors
But being stopped in traffic and checking out the iPhone for a way around the mess? Not exactly driving, there. Looks like Fresno is defining a motorist as anyone who merely sits in the driver’s seat.
We have a exception for Nav devices here but if I was in CA I would hold the phone out of view of the windows,
There are different laws for us and them.
If the map says you’re in California, you’re lost.
That's the standard for DUI. In some states, anyway. You can be arrested if parked and asleep if you're even in the front seat. Get in the back and you're ok.
If you can get a DUI without actually driving, but just being in a parked car while intoxicated, this isn't a stretch.
They are the worst! I see it a lot.
Paper map reading is dangerous too. It’s just that few persons did it back then so it was not a measurable bump in accidents.
Too many people text, which Liberty Mutual equates with driving at triple the legal blood alcohol level.
Map reading has to be as bad as texting. The map has to load, accurate scrolling and swiping gestures are needed. It’s just not worth it.
Somehow, built in navigation systems and hands free phone conversations get a pass.
When I am at a red light that I know will be long in duration, I check my phone for email. I don’t really feel distracted. I put it down when the light turns green.
I wish common sense were the rule and not the exception.
When flying small aircraft, electronic maps are all the rage... whether built-in or not. Of course, if you are in cloud, and you've got nothing else, the cop can't see 'ya
The Outer Party members always get a few privileges. Like guns they can keep at home.
How do you know that the light has turned green?
I have a 200 channel scanner. It is one of those which have a lot of frequencies which are no longer allowed. I hardly ever use it unless a cop car comes by with lights and siren.
I heard one a few months ago who had pulled over a motorist for not signaling a turn. From my window at my computer I can see an intersection of two rural highways. I started watching and so far not a single cop car has signaled a turn. Not a single one.
“no more distracting than trying to follow a paper map”
Man that used to scare the dickens out of me when I would try to use a map while driving LOL!
The car behind me honks, in a New York second.
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