It’s not often that an emerging consumer technology inspires official legislation before it even hits the market, but that appears to be the case with Google Glass.
A Virginia politician, and apparent technology enthusiast, has been following the developing story of Glass and its potential effects on social interactions, as well as its practical applications. After reading perhaps one too many articles about the $1,500 device scheduled to be released widely later this year, Gary G. Howell, a Republican in the West Virginia Legislature, decided it was necessary to draft a bill that would ban using Glass while driving.
The bill, introduced on March 22, is termed as "establishing the offense of operating a motor vehicle using a wearable computer with a head-mounted display." And while the legal move might seem like a bit of an overreach for a piece of technology that has yet to even formally launch, this bill is actually tied to the widely prohibited practice of texting while driving.
Howell said, "I actually like the idea of the product and I believe it is the future, but last legislature we worked long and hard on a no-texting-and-driving law. It is mostly the young that are the tech-savvy that try new things. They are also our most vulnerable and under-skilled drivers. We heard of many crashes caused by texting and driving, most involving our youngest drivers. I see the Google Glass as an extension."