California Woman Gets the First Ticket for Driving with Google Glass

This is history: the first known case of a Glass Explorer getting a ticket for driving while wearing Google Glass.

Cecilia Abadie told her story on Google+ late Tuesday night, and shared this image of the citation that she got while driving in the San Diego area:

I’ve added an arrow where you can clearly see the officer wrote “Google Glass” on the ticket. It’s hard to read, but the officer’s full explanation says “Driving with monitor visible to driver (Google Glass).”

(That’s actually the second violation listed. Cecilia says she was ticketed for speeding 10 mph above the limit, too.)

The California Law in Question

The ticket was apparently given as a violation of California Vehicle Code Section 27602, which addresses “Television” use inside motor vehicles:

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.

So basically, you can’t drive in California with any type of video screen that is

operating, and in the front seat or otherwise visible to the driver

But there are numerous exceptions to the law. You can drive with equipment that includes “a mapping display” and/or “a global positioning display” — both of which describe Glass. There’s another exception that seems like it would apply to Glass, too — namely that it’s okay if the equipment “has an interlock device that, when the motor vehicle is driven, disables the equipment for all uses except as a visual display” in the cases such as mapping and GPS.

Cecilia posted both on her own Google+ account, and in the Glass Explorer community. She says Glass was not on while she was driving (which makes sense, since it’s off by default) and that the officer “kept saying it was blocking my view.”

She currently has more than 200 comments total across the multiple posts. Many Explorers are encouraging her to fight the ticket in court. And, from what I can tell, at least one commenter is an Explorer that also happens to be a California lawyer offering to help.

This could get interesting in a hurry. I’ve made my opinion clear before: It’s safe to drive with Glass. It’s safer than looking down at a smartphone or GPS to see where you are on the map, get directions, and so forth. And others agree.

But will the courts?