The newsfeeds are alive with American articles about “distracted driving”. Nothing is ever simple in America, and California specialises in taking that fact several steps further. Most American states cannot agree on what is legal and what isn’t (just look at the latest from Jackson, Mississippi to see that in action), particularly when it comes to using mobile phones when driving. On top of that, the American constitution seems to result in almost nothing being legally illegal! This particular story illustrates that clearly (link now dead).
Stephen Spriggs was given a ticket when he used his mobile phone whilst stationary in a traffic jam to look for an alternative route. He challenged the fine, and the appeal court has ruled that the law in question only applies to people “listening and talking” on their phones.
The law the CHP officer used to ticket Spriggs applies specifically to people “listening and talking” on cellphones, not using their mobile phone in other ways, the court said.
Texting while driving remains illegal under another California law passed after the one at issue in Spriggs’ case.
So it would appear that driving around fiddling with your satnav app is perfectly OK in California after this ruling. Heaven help them when Google Glass gains popularity.