Is driving while wearing Google Glass the same as driving while using a phone? Apparently the police officer who pulled Cecilia Abadie over last year seemed to think so and gave her a ticket. Naturally she did not think she was in the wrong and pleaded not guilty and has since gone on trial to determine if she was indeed guilty or not. This is a particularly important case because it sets the precedent for future use of wearable devices. We’ve seen some establishments ban the use of Glass on their premises which is fine since it really is up to them, but in a legal context, this would be interesting indeed.
Well the good news for fans and advocates of wearable technology is that Abadie’s ticket has since been dismissed by the courts. The reason behind it is because at the time when she was pulled over and given the ticket, the device was not active, meaning that the violation the police officer cited her for did not apply. Technically that would be true although it still does not answer the question as to what might happen had Glass been active at that time. Based on this reasoning it would seem that the courts would side with the officer had that been the case, but at least for now it is a victory for the wearables industry.
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