Entire ad campaigns have been created to get people to stop texting while driving. It seems like common sense – you can’t get where you need to go if you’re busy texting your friend Sheila all about how excited you are for your date tonight.
But what if you can’t get to your date because you need to check your phone’s maps? Is it ok to look at maps while you’re driving? According to the California court of appeals, no way!
California’s appeals court ruled last month that even if you’re just using your iPhone to check the map, you’re still breaking the law. As reported by All Things D, the court ruled that hands-on use of a cellphone is against state law, even if you’re checking maps.
“Because it is undisputed that appellant used his wireless telephone while holding it in his hand as he drove his vehicle, his conduct violated Vehicle Code section 23123, subdivision (a),”
So if you live in California, make sure to keep your eyes on the road, and your hands off your iPhone until you come to complete stop.
Source: ATD
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
3 responses to “California Court Rules It’s Not Okay To Check Maps On Phone While Driving”
“So if you live in California, make sure to keep your eyes on the road, and your hands off your iPhone until you come to complete stop.”
It sounds like you are saying that checking maps on a smartphone while it is your hand, while driving, is safe and okay to do elsewhere.
It is not.
Two notes:
1) You can legally use a Garmin/GPS/equivalent, and
2) The precise legal opinion says “while holding it in his hand ” — which leaves open the huge loophole that if the phone is mounted via a suction cup to the windshield (or anything similar), it is now legal.
Mine calls out turn by turn. What’s the big deal?