A court in Southern California has dismissed what was apparently the first-ever traffic citation issued for wearing Google Glass while driving.
Cecilia Abadie was stopped for speeding in late October. When a California Highway Patrol officer approached her, he noticed she was wearing the Google Glass device and issued a second ticket for that.
Section 27602 of California’s vehicle code bans video screens in the view of the driver, with the exception of GPS-style car navigation devices.
On Thursday, a court commissioner in San Diego dismissed the Google Glass ticket, saying he could find no evidence that the device was in use while Abadie was driving, according to several local news reports.
The CHP officer apparently saw the light from the screen, but Abadie said the headset activated when she looked up as the officer approached.
The initial incident and Thursday’s dismissal have attracted a lot of media attention, and it may not be the last time the issue plays out.
While dismissing the ticket, the commissioner said he does believe Google Glass falls under the definition of a video screen in state law.