Illegal to use iPhone as a navigation system on the car!! I got fined!!

[Harper]

Illegal to use iPhone as a navigation system on the car!! I got fined!! | Digihub Forum | digihub.smh.com.au

On the 25th of March 2009, I was fined $250 and taken 4 demerit points because my iPhone was on the dash and I was looking at it as a satellite navigation! I explained to the officer at the time that I was using it as a sat navigation system and I showed him theres no records of calls or txt msgs on my phone but he said the following in a very sarcastic tone of voice

"go get yourself a proper device like navman, iphone is a phone and using it will incur you driving offences"

The problem I see here is that when is a phone a phone and not a navigation system. It not just the iPhone, but there is a lot of other phones that comes along with GPS Navigation.

NSW Legislation

Clause 300 of the NSW Road Rules 2008 (Regulation) states the following:

300 Use of mobile phones by drivers (except holders of learner or provisional P1 licences)

(1) The driver of a vehicle (except an emergency vehicle or police vehicle) must not use a mobile phone that the driver is holding in his or her hand while the vehicle is moving, or is stationary but not parked, unless the driver is exempt from this rule under another law of this jurisdiction.

Maximum penalty: 20 penalty units.

Note. Emergency vehicle, park and police vehicle are defined in the Dictionary.

(1–1) Subrule (1) does not apply to the driver of a vehicle who is the holder of a learner licence or provisional P1 licence.

Note 1. Learner licence is defined in the Act, and provisional P1 licence is defined in the Dictionary.

Note 2. Rule 300–1 places restrictions on the use of mobile phones, whether or not held in the hand, by the holder of a learner licence or provisional P1 licence.

Note 3. This subrule is an additional NSW subrule. There is no corresponding subrule in rule 300 of the Australian Road Rules.

(2) In this rule:

mobile phone does not include a CB radio or any other two-way radio.

use, in relation to a mobile phone, includes the following:

(a) holding the phone to, or near, the ear (whether or not engaged in a phone call),

(b) writing, sending or reading a text message on the phone,

(c) turning the phone on or off,

(d) operating any other function of the phone.

I hope that this guy wins is court case. The phone as the functionality of a GPS. Why can't it be used?
And if they do punish this guy, the I suggest that the police start cracking down on other people that are using GPS units (like Tom Tom or Navman) as well.

 

[hikaricloud]

What a tool of an officer. I hate cops like that.

I honestly think that road patrolmen are a lot more ornery like that because they're stuck on road duty. Doesn't mean they have to take out their failed hopes and dreams on us...

But seriously, with the new technology coming out nowadays, they need to amend some laws pretty quick like.

 

[yzmxer608]

That's bull crap, satellite navigators are satellite navigators, whether it's on a phone based system or not.

 

[patonb]

Hey don't mess with the MFP........ Max will always get yha!

 

[Poizen22]

well in my city they are changing the law in 6 months you can use a phone or gps as a mobile nav device but it must be mounted ONTOP of your dash so the smart thing to do would be get an iphone mount because there are gps apps on the phone that will oraly tell you the directions.

 

[Harper]

well in my city they are changing the law in 6 months you can use a phone or gps as a mobile nav device but it must be mounted ONTOP of your dash so the smart thing to do would be get an iphone mount because there are gps apps on the phone that will oraly tell you the directions.

They are trying to push that one down where. I know that in Queensland that it's illegal to have a some thing dangling from your rear view mirror. I have heard that they are trying to push for any thing mounted on your windows too, leaving the top part of your dash.

The GPS devices that I am worried about are the ones that are located where your car stereo is normally located. My former boss nearly had an accident a few years back as he was paying more attention to what was on the screen on his Car stereo with onboard DVDplayer / GPS display than what he was on the road. At least with the Dash Mounts or Windows Mounts you can still keep one eye on the road. However i have seen some rather stupid places for people to position windows mounts. One of them being right in the middle of the drivers side wind screen.

 

[patonb]

They are trying to push that one down where. I know that in Queensland that it's illegal to have a some thing dangling from your rear view mirror. I have heard that they are trying to push for any thing mounted on your windows too, leaving the top part of your dash.

Thats actually illegal in more places than you think.

I'm quite astonished that HUD hasn't become standard on autos now. But again, if you're easily distracted that could cause other issues.

>

 

[yzmxer608]

Thats actually illegal in more places than you think.

Think that's illegal in a lot of the US states, but yet they still make parking passes made to put up there..

I'm quite astonished that HUD hasn't become standard on autos now. But again, if you're easily distracted that could cause other issues.

Oooo look at the pretty colors!

 

[BonzNumber1]

where i am from there is a $500 fine for even talking on a cellphone while your driving testing also falls under that... and a friend of mine got nailed for using the gps on his phone

 

[yzmxer608]

What do you mean testing? Like drivers ed testing?