
Lawmakers seek to ban Google Glass on the road - Lightning
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57575954-71/dont-glass-and-drive-lawmakers-seek-to-ban-google-glass-on-the-road/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=title
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saulrh
As I've said before, maybe people should actually _try_ one of these things
before they assume they know how they work. I've seen them before. I've used
them. One of my professors does research with them. In particular: A person
displaying contextual task information - like GPS navigation - with a head-
mounted display spends less time switching contexts, is less distracted by
context switches, and is generally more focused on the task, than someone
using a text-to-speech display, a piece of paper, or a conventional display.
They are able to complete tasks more quickly, more precisely, and more
accurately. That's not intuition or experience; that's data. PDF:
<http://dmrussell.net/CHI2010/docs/p1695.pdf>

~~~
darkchasma
Politicians don't use facts to make laws, they use irrational fear. If they
used facts, we would all have healthcare, no guns, prostitution and marijuana
would be legal, but high fructose corn syrup, and diet soda would be illegal.
And we certainly wouldn't have to take off our shoes to board and airplane.

~~~
ahallock
Sarcasm? All you've done with your example is trade one set of authoritarian,
capricious rules with another. How about we just stop dictating people's
lives?

~~~
derefr
> How about we just stop dictating people's lives?

But then what would politicians do all day?

Seriously, "making laws that dictate people's lives" are the things they can
point to to say they're doing any job at all. They have a strong incentive to
make those kinds of laws. What is needed more than anything is to remove that
incentive.

~~~
ahallock
They have a huge incentive to sell their political power; it's their
'product'. I really don't have much hope for reforming the current system.
It's too entrenched and has too much momentum.

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rayiner
The regulatory reaction to Google Glass will be harsh. Something that can
video tape everything and constantly interrupts the wearer's attention? You'd
have to be looking through rose colored glasses to not see how that could be a
problem. And Google, in typical tech industry fashion is not going to offer
lawmakers a compelling counter narrative. They're going to do nothing to
translate the nerd-delight of all of Google Glass's possibilities into terms
my mom could understand if she were charged with regulating public safety.
Which is why lawmakers will see banning them as all upside with no downside.

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CompelTechnic
I think it's silly to start efforts towards this ban when none of the
politicians making said efforts have even worn google glass, or, likely, seen
it in person.

They're not operating within their area of expertise here, and aren't even
familiar with how distracting the experience is when driving, either
anecdotally or through studies/ research. They really should wait to get some
data before interfering with peoples' freedoms like this.

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vanderZwan
> I think it's silly to start efforts towards this ban when none of the
> politicians making said efforts have even worn google glass, or, likely,
> seen it in person.

Not as silly as basing regulation on anecdotal evidence. Oh wait, that's
already happening either way.

Anyway, I thought it has been shown that hand-free phones are only marginally
less distracting than regular ones while driving? If so I see no reason not to
regulate.

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kps
Ah, so Google's work on self-driving cars is just a ploy to remove one
objection to Glass. These guys are playing a long game.

I'm not sure whether I'm joking or not.

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niggler
Some cars already project information onto the windshield. Are they going to
ban those too?

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johneth
> Some cars already project information onto the windshield.

Yes - information such as speed. Driving related things which the driver would
normally need to know while operating the vehicle.

Google Glass is a distraction in much the same way a mobile phone is while
driving - it's removing your attention from the road to do things such as
texting.

So you can't compare the two.

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jonknee
> Google Glass is a distraction in much the same way a mobile phone is while
> driving - it's removing your attention from the road to do things such as
> texting.

Google Glass _could_ be a distraction in much the same way as a mobile phone
is while driving, it also could be a huge help in driving. A driving app could
display speed, navigation, highlight pedestrians, provide blind spot
assistance, etc etc. It's really too early to tell and definitely too early to
legislate.

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cbhl
Keep in mind that Glass doesn't provide a full overlay of a person's vison --
you need to adjust both focus _and_ look in the corner of your field of
vision.

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Lost_BiomedE
For drivers, they need to ban make-up or nail polish, shaving, brushing teeth,
changing the radio station, looking through console or briefcase, not having
slept 4 or more hours the previous night, cleaning the windshield, adjusting
seats or mirrors, plugging in electronic devices while moving, reading a map,
entering in GPS info, using your hands while talking to a passenger, turning
to address a passenger, fixing or brushing hair, opening packaging, lighting a
cigarette, laughing, the sorting of papers, wearing heels or prohibitive
boots, removing dust or sleep from eye, coughing or sneezing, stretching, talk
radio, excessive emotion, excessive seat lean, not having two hands on the
wheel, reaching that causes your torso to turn, adjusting clothing, clipping
of nails, wearing an eye patch, picking your nose, eating, billboards, bumper
stickers, dancing, scratching, swatting at bugs, sunglasses at dusk, and
google glass

Or just use existing laws that cover these things such as reckless driving.

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cromwellian
The reaction to Glass is somewhat ridiculous for people who have no idea how
they work and have never used them. Even more ridiculous is the government
trying to ban or regulate something that isn't even available yet, and might
never be available, or, as the naysayers say, be a complete market failure.

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infoman
while hundreds of people brainstorm ideas how google glass can enrich the
driving experience

<http://glass-apps.org/car-glass-app>

there are always those who wants to conserve the status quo and try to find
any arguement

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awj
> there are always those who wants to conserve the status quo and try to find
> any arguement

Driving without people being physically incapable of being distracted by their
text messages is a status quo I'd like to preserve.

There are a lot of potential awesome application of Glass, including to
driving, but to ignore how it would extend our _current_ technology-while-
driving-issues is simply being myopic.

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wnight
We already have all the laws we need. Unsafe driving, for any reason, is
punishable.

If we need a law for eye-mounted screens we'll need another law for intra-
ocular implants, and exceptions for eye-taps for medical purpose, and another
law forbidding thinking about fantasy football, and so forth.

Too many laws doesn't achieve the objective, it just causes lawyers.

~~~
infoman
it just causes lawyers!

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astar
Google glass is probably about as distracting as the various LED and console
displays that already exist, including GPS ones

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viraptor
Current devices in the car cannot cover the centre of your view with some
graphics. In most cases they're designed so that it's actually impossible. Can
the same be guaranteed for Glass? I'm not even thinking about notifications
and apps. What about a random app crash / reboot - how will that affect your
visibility while driving?

~~~
jonknee
> What about a random app crash / reboot - how will that affect your
> visibility while driving

If Google Glass crashes you just see whatever you would normally be looking
at, the display is transparent.

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viraptor
If it crashes completely - yes. If there's a bug in the app - not necessarily.

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homosaur
oh yeah THIS is going to be enforceable.

While we're at it, let's go ahead and ban anger on the road too.

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rgbrenner
You're wearing it on your face. Anyone driving by you is going to be able to
see it. How do you figure that this would be difficult to enforce?

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donohoe
I wear glasses - legally obliged to when I drive.

Google Glass will work eventually on prescription glasses. Those prescription
glasses work even if 'turned off'.

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enraged_camel
Except regular prescription glasses will still be available. And I don't think
you'll be able to convince any cop that the only pair of glasses you have
available is one that costs $1,000+.

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jonknee
Who says Google Glass will always cost $1,000+? If it or anything similar
catches on the prices will drop like a rock (see mobile phones as an example).

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Evbn
Because this thing that they have never used and isn't yet on the market is
the most pressing threat to public safety? Methinks they just want an excuse
to subpoena some devices to play with.

Or are they going to ban dashboards next, since they distract drivers from the
road?

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uptown
Which is it? Do we want laws that are so archaic they test their own relevance
... or do we want laws that adapt to the changing world in which they're
designed to apply? More often than not, we see the legal system trail far
behind the technological realities of the society they're intended to
regulate. While I'm no fan of legislation for the sake of legislation, I'm
happy to see a more forward-thinking approach to these types of things. And
yes - there currently are laws on the books banning things like entertainment
systems in the dashboard to help prevent distracted driving.

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derefr
I would think that we want laws that react to real problems that come up, as
they come up, once enough data has been collected to prove they're problems.
Then, the law is enacted, the data is measured again, and we see whether the
law _solved_ the problem. :)

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alexvr
People should have the right to do whatever the heck they want with their
property. While these "lawmakers" are at it, they should ban all of the voice-
enabled cars and force people to text and hold the phone while driving.

I was driving down the road in an unfamiliar place with my iPhone and Google
Maps in my lap, looking at it every now and then, and I noticed that after
looking for a second I was usually half a foot in the wrong lane. I thought,
"Glass would make this much safer, much easier." It would be so great to
simply see where to go in the corner of your eye. I think that's the most
practical feature of the first version of Glass.

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kpanghmc
No, people should not, and do not, have the right to do whatever the heck they
want with their property, especially when what they're doing puts other
people's lives in danger. That's why we have laws against things like drinking
and driving.

That's not to say that I think Glass should be outlawed while driving. But
lawmakers certainly have the right and responsibility to question whether it
should be.

