California Senate votes to legalize windshield GPS mounting

Though it's typically common practice to suction that new GPS unit to your windshield just as soon as you whip it from the box, folks in California have long been unable to enjoy such luxuries outside of their own driveways. Currently, it's illegal to have navigators stuck to one's front window, and police have been handing out "obstructed view" citations for those who disregard the law in the Golden State. Now, however, the California Senate will be voting on Senate Bill 1567, which would "add an exemption for the use of a seven-inch GPS screen mounted on in the lower corner of the passenger-side windshield or a five-inch screen on the driver's side." Of course, there's still oodles of red tape (and you know, a vote) to pass through before gridlocked drivers are able to toss that NAV up at eye-level, but you've got to start somewhere, right?

[Image courtesy of RVTravel, thanks Richard]

[Michael @ May 21st 2008 12:09PM]

So I'm guessing the ubiquitous Hula-Girl is a no no in Cali? Or is there already an exemption?

[Michael @ May 21st 2008 4:39PM]

The law just prohibits items from being stuck to the windshield. It's perfectly fine to put things on your dash.

[couchpundit @ May 21st 2008 12:12PM]

I'm not sure how anyone can actually read that GPS thing sticking out of the hula girl's butt. That should be against the law right there.

[Matt @ May 21st 2008 12:12PM]

That is an incredibly misleading headline. According to your article, the California Senate WILL BE VOTING on WHETHER OR NOT to legalize it. The headline claims that they HAVE VOTED "to legalize" it.

[RikF @ May 21st 2008 12:20PM]

according to the linked article the vote has already passed, so the headline is fine, the article is misleading!

[Matt @ May 21st 2008 12:23PM]

Good point, I guess I should RTFA, RikF.

OK so the post is more than misleading -- it's blatantly wrong. "the California Senate will be voting on Senate Bill 1567" -- they already voted.

[Yourself @ May 21st 2008 12:36PM]

You're both wrong. The headline is mildly misleading, but "whether to" is implied and the sentence is literally true. Also, the article does not state the bill has passed - the bill it mentions that was passed simply legalizes the GPS units themselves.

[RikF @ May 21st 2008 12:44PM]

"The California state Senate voted 38-1 last Thursday to legalize the use of portable GPS navigation units in automobiles."

Now I'll be the first to admit that I don't know the ins and outs of Californian legislation, but that sure sounds like it passed...

[Yourself @ May 21st 2008 12:55PM]

Well I'd just suggest you actually read what you just typed. "legalize the use of portable GPS navigation" is not the same as "Senate Bill 1567 would add an exemption for the use of a seven-inch GPS screen mounted." "The bill now heads to the state Assembly for consideration..."

There are two different bills being discussed. Maybe instead of reading the fucking article, you should've read the fucking article to the end.

[RikF @ May 21st 2008 3:52PM]

Oh, you were so close, and yet so far....

The vote has passed the senate. The vote was for the bill number that you quoted. The bit where it says 'would legalize' refers to the fact that the assembly now has to vote on it. Title to the post is fine. My point is fine. You need to wash your mouth out with soap and water.

[matt @ Jun 14th 2008 2:38PM]

If you knew the legislative process you would understand the article. The senate voted, now the bill has to go to the assembly . Assuming it passes with no further amendment (which would then make it go back to the senate) then the governor has to sign it into law. If everything goes well it should take effect January 1st 2009.

[GreezyG @ May 21st 2008 12:19PM]

You know I always made fun of California for all their "nanny" laws. I live in Austin, TX... Half of California is moving here. After getting to know several of them I understand why they have all those stupid laws. I know Im generalizing... but NONE of the ex-californians I know have any common sense at all.

[Mr Awesomer @ May 21st 2008 12:42PM]

That's why they moved to Texas.

[Reid @ May 21st 2008 12:42PM]

Yeah, none of the ex-Californians you meet have any sense, because they left California for Texas.

The fact of the matter is, California *probably* banned things attached to the windshield in order to make it easy to ticket people for radar detectors, but it simply doesn't matter. Every other car you see on the road has a GPS unit or radar detector suction-cupped to the windshield, and I've never, ever heard of anyone being ticketed for it. My V1 has been stuck to my windshield above my rearview mirror for the whole 6 years I've been in CA. My Nuvi 350 has been on the lower left for the past 2 or so years.

Call California a nanny state if you want, but you never get hassled about anything here. I've not been pulled over *once* in 6 years. Compare that to my home state of Washington where you can't sneeze without getting a ticket.

FWIW, it was already legal to have "materials" attached to the lower-left or lower-right corner of your windshield. It was meant for new-vehicle reg stuff on the passenger side, and likely for FastTrak toll transponders, but the way *I* read the law makes it legal to attach my Nuvi's suction cup at the very lower left anyway. Of course, the V1 is mounted in an illegal location, but return to point #1: Who cares.

[Reid @ May 21st 2008 12:44PM]

Forgot to add, so many of the GPS units are suction-cupped dead in the middle of the windshield (both in CA and everywhere else I've seen them). What on earth are people thinking? Mine is way down in the lower left where it doesn't obstruct my view at all.

[engadget @ May 21st 2008 2:29PM]

@Reid: They're probably thinking that they're right-handed.

[kal326 @ May 21st 2008 12:23PM]

That's funny, I was out in California for 8 days on vacation with a GPS stuck to the windshield the whole time and never got a ticket. I passed by several cops in many different cities. Guess those obstructed view tickets may not be a frequently doled out as indicated.

[TVGenius @ May 21st 2008 1:08PM]

You probably drove by while the jerk ChiP was writing me up for supposedly doing 91 in relatively heavy traffic, when I had, in fact, had the cruise control set at 71 for over an hour straight.

I always just stuck it on the side window. Easier to reach too. Or use a bean bag mount...

[Allen @ May 21st 2008 12:23PM]

@GreezyG: The Ex-Californians were stupid already when they decided to move to Texas.

[couchpundit @ May 21st 2008 3:36PM]

Dude--if you're going to live in Texas, Austin is where you wanna be.

There are worse places to live than here in Texas. When I think of some, I'll post it.

[TIMMAH! @ May 21st 2008 12:25PM]

Hopefully it's not going to be the lower corner of the windshield on the driver's side. I put mine lower down in the middle part of the windshield because it's easy to reference there and also that's where the cigarette lighter socket is. I don't want a power cable snaking around the steering wheel.

[Tony C @ May 21st 2008 12:29PM]

It's illegal to have anything like a GPS on your windshield in Virginia too.

Though I'm not sure how strongly it's enforced, since I see people driving around with them all the time. Anywhere from directly below the rear view mirror (yeah, that's smart!!) to any other number of places across the front glass.

[Jeff @ May 21st 2008 1:43PM]

Also in New York. In fact, a lot of states have similar laws. There's a web site out there with a database and summary of all of them, though I can't find it right now. (That's how I know about New York.)

I live in New York and have never gotten a ticket. I think it's one of those laws that just basically never gets enforced, because it was enacted before GPS existed and the law really wasn't intended to outlaw stuff like that. It was more to outlaw things like fuzzy dice that serve no practical purpose and can seriously obstruct your view and become projectiles in an accident (ok, not so much the fuzzy dice, but people used to hang all sorts of things from their mirrors). I'm sure cops would rather you use a GPS that tells you when to turn without looking at it rather than driving with a map open in your lap distracting you, like we all used to do in the old days.

[telepheedian @ May 21st 2008 12:39PM]

I always thought that the "no suction cup" laws were to help take care of radar detectors.

[masteroffm @ May 21st 2008 1:53PM]

as others have pointed out the no suction cup laws were a backhanded attempt to outlaw radar detectors. i looked into getting a "friction" mount for my wives' GPS and discovered that it would actually obstruct her vision more than a properly mounted suction cup. also i have friends who just get some plexiglass and attach it to the dash with velcro and call it a day.

[steedums @ May 21st 2008 12:46PM]

this is awesome because GPS units are way less obstructive and way less distractive than a suction cupped radar detector or compass or...

[Yourself @ May 21st 2008 12:54PM]

Well I'd just suggest you actually read what you just typed. "legalize the use of portable GPS navigation" is not the same as "Senate Bill 1567 would add an exemption for the use of a seven-inch GPS screen mounted." "The bill now heads to the state Assembly for consideration..."

There are two different bills being discussed. Maybe instead of reading the fucking article, you should've read the fucking article to the end.

[Yourself @ May 21st 2008 12:56PM]

Sigh, was supposed to be a reply. Why my boss won't upgrade from IE5 is beyond me.

[mettmann @ May 21st 2008 12:57PM]

California DID vote to legalize - as SB 1567 was AMENDED to include GPS - as of May 7, 2008..

look for section (12)


the entire SB, with amendment..

AMENDED IN SENATEMAY7, 2008
AMENDED IN SENATEAPRIL14, 2008
AMENDED IN SENATEMARCH25, 2008
SENATE BILL No. 1567
Introduced by Senator Oropeza
February22, 2008
An act to amend Section 26708 of the Vehicle Code, relating to
vehicles.
legislative counsel
’s digest
SB1567, as amended, Oropeza.Windshield: GPS device.
Existing law prohibits any person, except as specified, from driving
any motor vehicle with any object or material, placed, displayed,
installed, affixed, or applied in or upon the vehicle which obstructs or
reduces the driver’s clear view through the windshield or side windows.
This bill would additionally exempt from these provisions a portable
Global Positioning System (GPS), which may be mounted in a 7-inch
square in the lower corner of the windshield farthest removed from the
driver or in a 5-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield nearest
to the driver, if specified conditions are met.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
1
2 SECTION 1. Section 26708 of the Vehicle Code is amended
to read:

26708. (a) (1) A person shall not drive any motor vehicle with
any object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or
applied upon the windshield or side or rear windows.
(2) A person shall not drive any motor vehicle with any object
or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied in or
upon the vehicle that obstructs or reduces the driver’s clear view
through the windshield or side windows.
(3) This subdivision applies to a person driving a motor vehicle
with the driver’s clear vision through the windshield, or side or
rear windows, obstructed by snow or ice.
(b) This section does not apply to any of the following:
(1) Rearview mirrors.
(2) Adjustable nontransparent sunvisors that are mounted
forward of the side windows and are not attached to the glass.
(3) Signs, stickers, or other materials that are displayed in a
7-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield farthest
removed from the driver, signs, stickers, or other materials that
are displayed in a 7-inch square in the lower corner of the rear
window farthest removed from the driver, or signs, stickers, or
other materials that are displayed in a 5-inch square in the lower
corner of the windshield nearest the driver.
(4) Side windows that are to the rear of the driver.
(5) Direction, destination, or termini signs upon a passenger
common carrier motor vehicle or a schoolbus, if those signs do
not interfere with the driver’s clear view of approaching traffic.
(6) Rear window wiper motor.
(7) Rear trunk lid handle or hinges.
(8) The rear window or windows, if the motor vehicle is
equipped with outside mirrors on both the left- and right-hand
sides of the vehicle that are so located as to reflect to the driver a
view of the highway through each mirror for a distance of at least
200 feet to the rear of the vehicle.
(9) A clear, transparent lens affixed to the side window opposite
the driver on a vehicle greater than 80 inches in width and that
occupies an area not exceeding 50 square inches of the lowest
corner toward the rear of that window and that provides the driver
with a wide-angle view through the lens.
(10) Sun screening devices meeting the requirements of Section
26708.2 installed on the side windows on either side of the
vehicle’s front seat, if the driver or a passenger in the front seat
96
— 2 —
SB1567
has in his or her possession a letter or other document signed by
a licensed physician and surgeon certifying that the person must
be shaded from the sun due to a medical condition, or has in his
or her possession a letter or other document signed by a licensed
optometrist certifying that the person must be shaded from the sun
due to a visual condition. The devices authorized by this paragraph
shall not be used during darkness.
(11) An electronic communication device affixed to the center
uppermost portion of the interior of a windshield within an area
that is not greater than 5 inches square, if the device provides either
of the following:
(A) The capability for enforcement facilities of the Department
of the California Highway Patrol to communicate with a vehicle
equipped with the device.
(B) The capability for electronic toll and traffic management
on public or private roads or facilities.
>>>>>>>(12) A portable Global Positioning System (GPS), which may
be mounted in a 7-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield
farthest removed from the driver or in a 5-inch square in the lower
corner of the windshield nearest to the driver, if the system is used
only for door-to-door navigation while the motor vehicle is being
operated and outside of an airbag deployment zone.
(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), transparent material may
be installed, affixed, or applied to the topmost portion of the
windshield if the following conditions apply:
(1) The bottom edge of the material is at least 29 inches above
the undepressed driver’s seat when measured from a point 5 inches
in front of the bottom of the backrest with the driver’s seat in its
rearmost and lowermost position with the vehicle on a level
surface.
(2) The material is not red or amber in color.
(3) There is no opaque lettering on the material and any other
lettering does not affect primary colors or distort vision through
the windshield.
(4) The material does not reflect sunlight or headlight glare into
the eyes of occupants of oncoming or following vehicles to any
greater extent than the windshield without the material.
(d) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), clear, colorless, and
transparent material may be installed, affixed, or applied to the
96
SB1567
— 3 —
1
front side windows, located to the immediate left and right of the
front seat if the following conditions are met:
(1) The material has a minimum visible light transmittance of
88 percent.
(2) The window glazing with the material applied meets all
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 205
(49 C.F.R. 571.205), including the specified minimum light
transmittance of 70 percent and the abrasion resistance of AS-14
glazing, as specified in that federal standard.
(3) The material is designed and manufactured to enhance the
ability of the existing window glass to block the sun’s harmful
ultraviolet A rays.
(4) The driver has in his or her possession, or within the vehicle,
a certificate signed by the installing company certifying that the
windows with the material installed meet the requirements of this
subdivision and identifies the installing company and the material’s
manufacturer by full name and street address, or, if the material
was installed by the vehicle owner, a certificate signed by the
material’s manufacturer certifying that the windows with the
material installed according to manufacturer’s instructions meets
the requirements of this subdivision and identifies the material’s
manufacturer by full name and street address.
(5) If the material described in this subdivision tears or bubbles,
or is otherwise worn to prohibit clear vision, it shall be removed
or replaced.
O
96
— 4 —
SB1567

[Brian @ May 21st 2008 2:06PM]

TMI...

No one is going to read all that!

[T H @ May 21st 2008 1:10PM]

No one is going to your website. Stop with the advertrolling already.

[barry99705 @ May 21st 2008 1:14PM]

Maybe they should remove the rear view mirror too. That is usually in my line of sight. In my Element I have my TomTom stuck to the dash right above the radio. I "lose" about a foot of road right in front of the car. Don't really see that as a problem. If you drive one of these things, or a Dodge Caliber, you already know what kind of obstruction the front pillars are.

[fanthem @ May 21st 2008 5:26PM]

Nice. I also have an Elemant and that is the best place to mount it. Otherwise, it's too damn far if you stick it to the windshield. On another note, I also have a TomTom. I wish i had something else. Damn thing conked out on me within a few months.

[Chris Griffin @ May 21st 2008 1:30PM]

Ditto to previous comments, I've never heard of anyone getting a ticket for this, or any other obstruction violation. I was always under the impression you had to be pulled over for something else, and this type of thing was a special bonus if the cop didn't like your looks.

[T H @ May 21st 2008 1:49PM]

^agreed.

[Johnny DeVilla @ May 21st 2008 1:55PM]

Nice to see our Government hard at work here in California. I don't think this is a widely enforced law - I routinely drive with my GPS suctioned to the lower left side of my wind screen. I have passed many cops in all shapes and forms and never have been pulled for this infraction of the law.

[YouFaceTheTick @ May 21st 2008 2:04PM]

What a waste. The law isn't enforced anyway.

[barry99705 @ May 21st 2008 2:25PM]

Most of the others aren't either. Just the bureaucracy of the People's Republic of California giving them selves something to do.

[holocron @ May 21st 2008 2:52PM]

Illegal here in Minnesota as well.

I always thought of this as a backward way to make "radar detectors" illegal without actually making them illegal.

[Sparta @ May 21st 2008 3:24PM]

I wonder if my Blackberry Curve will count as a GPS unit, since I do use it as one. I've had it suctioned cupped to the front windshield for half a year now, and never got cited. Then I learned of the law two weeks ago but kept it on anyway. I hope this legalization goes through!

[owls @ May 21st 2008 3:42PM]

Sweet! Now I can continue using my sextant!

[barry99705 @ May 21st 2008 8:29PM]

Hahahahahahahaha!!

[umm....hello??? @ May 21st 2008 6:32PM]

1. I don't think I've EVER seen anyone hear in Chicago get a ticket for obstructed views of windshield (necklaces, fuzzy dice, etc). (not sure if it's legal here in Chicago or not, anyway).

2. WHY would you put a suction cup to let all the thieves know that you have a portable GPS to steal??

[Viakenny @ May 21st 2008 7:32PM]

in other news, Brazilian cars with standard GPS will not be sold in California.
(since there's still not enough scale to make cars with built-in GPSs, after all, in-car GPS has been legal here since two or maybe three years)

[RikF @ May 22nd 2008 12:28AM]

All those words appeared to be English. I just don't think they were meant to be put together in that order...

[Dominic @ May 21st 2008 9:26PM]

Whoops...looks like we've been breaking the law....for about two years now. And practically almost every other car on the road, as it is plainly obvious that we're not the only family that sticks their GPS to their windshield in California.

[dosguy @ May 22nd 2008 1:46AM]

Why not just eliminate the windshield altogether and put a big rack there to hold all the electronic crap. Hell, nobody watches the road anymore anyway, what with cellphones, text messaging, laptops, GPS devices, I-Pods, etc. Seems that for a lot of people, paying attention to the road is a g0ddamned joke.

[Garst @ May 22nd 2008 4:50AM]

I would never follow this law. My car has some sort of evil electrical field emitting from it. It wigs out electronics and destroys compasses. I no longer keep a compass in my car because I'm tried of them getting fucked up by my car. And I'm sure as Hell not going to put a GPS system anywhere close to anything metal, because I don't need that to wig out while I'm driving.

[HektikLyfe @ May 22nd 2008 8:33PM]

So I get pulled over for hanging a small tassle from my rear view mirror but John Q. Yuppie can mash away on is chunky mini-CRT shaped GPS?

[wolf @ May 30th 2008 12:38PM]

my GF always mounts her gps on the windshield and hasn't gotten a ticket yet- the thing that is so rediculous is that if she mounts it on the dash it actually obsructs her view more than if she sticks it on the lower portion of the windshield