It’s been rumored that a way to try and get out of a ticket given for texting while driving is to tell the police officer you were using your phone for directions.
In California, that’s no longer the case as using smartphone maps while driving is also illegal. Or, rather, a judge has determined that it was already illegal according to California’s “hands-free” distracted driving law.
The case was brought to California’s appellate court by defendant Steven Spriggs, who argued he should not have received a ticket for using his phone while driving because he was only using GPS.
The summary handed down by the court states that a person using a maps app is distracted just as much as if they were using the phone to make a call or send a text. The court ruled that California law (Senate Bill 1613, which went into effect in 2008) is pretty clear: no using a wireless telephone while driving – including for purposes like getting directions.
The court said the “primary evil” is the driver being distracted when using his or her hands to operate the phone. That holds true whether a driver is making a phone call, texting, using a map service or just checking the phone’s clock.
So, it’s essentially illegal to touch your phone while driving. Perhaps all cars should come with smartphone cradles if they don’t have built-in GPS.