Google Glass Facing Driving Ban In The US

Resistance towards Google’s wearable Glass technology is apparently growing amongst lawmakers in the United States, with new legislation proposed in Wyoming threatening to limit its functionality.

A new bill introduced by Wyoming Senator Floyd Esquibel, who is also a member of the State Senate transportation panel, is looking to ban the use of Google Glass and all other wearable computing devices during the operation of a vehicle.

Senator Esquibel, who previously campaigned successfully for Wyoming to outlaw texting by drivers in 2010, states that he wants to ensure safeguards are in place before the technology becomes widely available, saying “common sense would tell you that you really don’t need to look at a little computer while driving, that it endangers you, your passengers and other drivers”.

The fate of the bill will be decided in February when the state legislature will convene to consider all new proposals.

Growing opposition

Reuters reports that Wyoming is among at least seven US states eyeing restrictions on Google Glass technology. Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York and West Virginia are also currently considering measures that would outlaw the use of wearable computers while driving, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The technology hit the headlines recently when a San Diego court cleared a female Glass wearer of a traffic ticket under laws that ban motorists from having a video or TV screen switched on in the front of a moving vehicle, on the grounds that it was not possible to prove she was actually using the device at the time.

Google Glass wearers have also faced opposition from the law away from the roads. Last week, an unnamed Ohio resident was forcibly removed from a cinema screening and questioned by Homeland Security officials who believed him to be illegally recording the film. And with the news that Glass will soon be able to be implemented into standard prescription lenses, we can expect further legal scrapes in the near future.

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