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Comment by ripter | Hacker News Reader

It sounds like a lot of people comment don't actually own a glass. I do. It doesn't project anything into your eye and unless you tap it or use the head nod to turn it on, it doesn't display anything. And if you don't give it a command (voice or tap) then it turns off in a few seconds.

Unless she was actually watching a video on it, then it's no more distracting than the clock on your dashboard.

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It's worth saying that some states make having a television mounted in your dash illegal. (Some states are a bit more lenient, only making it illegal for the driver to watch TV) The sensibility of those laws aside, if they exist, application to Glass isn't much of a stretch.

Anyone else really wishing for a way to quickly look up the exact text of the laws being referenced?

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc27602.htm

This is the law relevant to the current situation. It has to do with televisions, and makes no provisions devices capable of multiple functions (for example, cellphones can be GPS devices or show movies).

bdcravens's claim was "some states" and "some states are more lenient".

So California is one state. There are 49 others to check. :(

Obviously your concern isn't the general discussion, but to establish whether I'm incorrect :-)

Like most HNers I'm checking in on stories and commenting to the best of my knowledge while working. If I can invoice you for the time, I'd be more than happy to provide you with a properly MLA formatted list of sources.

In lieu of that, I hope you'll trust that I'm not just making this up. I do recall there's a list of at least 4-6 states that are very hard-line on this issue, and probably a majority of the states have laws prohibiting the driver watching video while driving.

I'd like more information, which may or may not establish that you're correct. Or incorrect. Or wrong in a way that's subtle. Or right, despite that, because of legal precedence I'm not aware of.

I recognize that such a utility would make it harder for lawyers to make money, since a hefty chunk of their value-add is removed. I'm okay with that. It would be even awesomer when local laws aren't de facto locked away from public perusal through paywalls, though that probably doesn't apply to this particular case.

I honestly don't care if you're making it up. I want to know what's actually on the books. About 20 minutes ago, a mailing list informed me that Tetris has been used to treat flashbacks and Chess has been used to treat ADHD. A 5-second google was able to confirm that this isn't complete bullshit. Googling "states that make driving with a television illegal" gets me nothing but random things about driver's licenses and illegal immigrants.

Seriously. Full-text search on up-to-date records of law. That's all I ask.

No problem; you made it a bit clear here what you were trying to say. What you're asking for would probably make someone quite wealthy, and would be a great startup idea. In the context of the thread, it was kind of unclear if you were talking more about my comment or your idea.

I will say that if the courts uphold that law as applying to Glass, then it also bans a front-seat passenger from operating (or even having visible) a smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.

Which is silly, but then again CA's vehicles codes always have been.

If she were watching a video, there would be no way to know. Giving her a ticket is the same as giving one for an open container, really.

That's the same as a dash mounted monitor. Which is still illegal even if off.

Doesn't "is operating" mean it's only illegal if turned on?

27602. (a) A person shall not drive a motor vehicle if a television receiver, a video monitor, or a television or video screen, or any other similar means of visually displaying a television broadcast or video signal that produces entertainment or business applications, is operating and is located in the motor vehicle at a point forward of the back of the driver’s seat, or is operating and the monitor, screen, or display is visible to the driver while driving the motor vehicle.

Isn't Glass always turned on and waiting for user input? Does "is operating" mean the device is powered even if it's not doing anything?

These are some of the things the courts have to figure out.

Parent was probably referring to @outside1234's assertion that dash-mounted monitors are illegal even if turned off.

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