It is not just restaurant and bar owners that don’t like the sound of Google Glass. A lawmaker in West Virginia is trying to ban Google Glass while driving. Gary Howell, a Republican in the legislature in West Virginia, thinks that Glass has the same dangers as texting and driving, if not worse. This does seem to us to be a valid point. After all, how safe do you think it would be to be watching Youtube while driving to the post office?
If the anti-Glass legislation passes, you can expect using the device while driving will earn you a big fine. For a first offense, the plan is to issue a ticket of $100. For each subsequent violation you would get an additional $100 added on top. So, for the second ticket, it would be $200, and so on.
Let it be known that Mr. Howell is not a Luddite. He thinks Google Glass is a pretty good idea. But he thinks it will be dangerous to drivers, especially teenagers. We all know how many crashes teens get into due to texting and driving. He sees Google Glass as a similar type of risk.
Howell thinks that even if his proposal isn’t made into law, he thinks his proposal will catch on in other legislatures around the US. Many debates already are surfacing over the bill. Also, many cars have HUDs that can distract you as Google Glass has the potential to. Those HUD systems could actually be more dangerous because they cause you to look down away from the road. At least Glass will still have your eyes trained on the road with your hands on the wheel.
Whether laws such as this ever pass will likely hinge on what really happens when Glass goes into wide release. If people start driving into houses and concrete barriers while using Glass and driving, we could see this type of bill actually become law.