OK, we all seem to want the latest technology, and most of the recent top sellers or top wants that people have in tech seem to be heads up displays. Now comes the Skully Heads Up Display for Motorcycles, which seems to be the ultimate of cool. Imagine riding down the highway at top speeds with your Warrior of The Lost World heads up display helmet, imagining just how cool you will look. So, along with other gadgets for having heads up displays in the car like the Navdy, we now have one for motorcycles with the Skully.
Unfortunately though we have yet to hear from various government regulators or state governments concerning the use of these heads up displays. You see most rules state that you can’t drive a car with a device such as a movie player playing while you are the sole driver. Not only that, but apps like Waze force you to say that you are the passenger in the car before they will allow the app to actually work for you while driving. You see this is the common problem with displays, and that is that when you have your mind on the display, you don’t have your mind on the road ahead. Recently a woman was ticketed by the police in California while she was driving while using Google Glass.
The arresting officer issued the citation to Abadie for violating California’s Vehicle Code Section 27602, which states that “A person shall not drive a motor vehicle if a television receiver, a video monitor, or a television or video screen, or any other similar means of visually displaying a television broadcast or video signal that produces entertainment or business applications, is operating and is located in the motor vehicle at a point forward of the back of the driver’s seat, or is operating and the monitor, screen, or display is visible to the driver while driving the motor vehicle.”
Oh but that won’t stop people from buying into the hype and opening their wallets and selling their souls on Indiegogo or Kickstarter or any other crowdfunding website to obtain the latest gear of cool. While the helmet is a really cool and desirable object to own or even use, it remains to be seen just how many tickets will be issued over using it, and or how many traffic fatalities will happen with users of this helmet or any other device that has a display that will possibly distract the driver. Not only that, but the insurance industry has yet to weigh in on how much they will charge for users of these devices. Matter of fact, the insurance industry could in fact ban such devices from ever being on the road. But the makers of such equipment pretty much fail to tell you, the buyer, that regulations do in fact exist or are being proposed to keep you from using such devices while on the road. And if people are dumb enough to ignore it, then it seems that those who buy into it will end up giving the police another excuse to unleash their ticket quota books for everyone they see wearing or using such devices.
The law explicitly states that it does not apply to equipment “installed in a vehicle” — not mounted on a driver’s face — including: “(1) A vehicle information display. (2) A global positioning display. (3) A mapping display.” The vehicle code also adds the caveat that, “the equipment has an interlock device that, when the motor vehicle is driven, disables the equipment for all uses except as a visual display”
As for it being used elsewhere, it seems that laws are being proposed to ban the use of such devices in other states.
Laws prohibiting drivers from using Google Glass while driving have already surfaced both stateside and abroad. West Virginia House Bill 3057 was submitted earlier this year but has been stuck in the House Roads and Transportation committee. Arizona has proposed similar legislation, and the U.K.’s Department of Transport is also considering banning certain wearable devices to be used while driving.
Again it seems to be, buyer beware. What you might buy because its cool today, may in fact be totally useless to you tomorrow. But those who make such devices will make off like bandits right along with the police who will write plenty of tickets making money for local and state governments.