A woman was pulled over for speeding, but when an officer realized she was wearing Google Glass, he added the felony charge of watching a TV monitor while driving. Now a court has ruled that there was no proof the head mounted screen was turned on.
A Google Glass tester who was ticketed for wearing the device while driving has seen her case dismissed.
Cecilia Abadie was pulled over by a California Highway Patrol officer in October for speeding, but when officer realized that she was wearing Google Glass, he added the felony charge of watching a TV monitor while driving.
The San Diego municipal court ruled however that there was no proof that the head mounted screen was turned on at the time, a fact that Abadie denied.
Commissioner John Blair told the courtroom that there was “the purview and intent” to breach the law by viewing a computer monitor while driving, but there was no way of proving that a crime had actually taken place.
This leaves the legality of wearing Google Glass while driving unresolved. Although Abadie’s felony charge was dismissed, the rules regarding the use of Google Glass are still far from clear and based on laws that predate the new technology. Therefore, this doesn’t mean that Google Glass has been cleared for use on public roads in the U.S. and the same situation could reoccur.
“I believe we have to start experimenting with devices like this…,” the acquitted Abadie told reporters. “A hands-free device is safer than a cell phone.”
There’s something mildly annoying about this ruling, however. Not because we wanted to see a conviction, but because there’s no closure. We’re no clearer than we were before about the rules regarding the use of Google Glass, and there’s no sign that anything is going to be done to clear up the confusion any time soon.
This article was originally published on the Inquirer.