Windshield GPS mounting legalized again in California
By Darren Murph 
posted September 30th 2008 5:19PM
posted September 30th 2008 5:19PM
Though one may assume Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger would have, um, more pressing matters on his hands these days, the man has somehow found time to address a complaint put forth by a-many travelin' Californians. Just this week Mr. Schwarzenegger signed into law a bill that was put forth earlier this year that will legalize windshield GPS mounting once more. Granted, stipulations are present, but at least you won't be forced to point your retinas down at the cup holders in order to see your navigation system after January 1, 2009. In the new year, drivers in the Golden State will be able to suction their GPS unit in the "lower 7-inch corner farthest away from the driver or in the lower 5-inch corner closest to the driver." If you go pressing your luck and throw it smack dab in the middle, be prepared for whatever fine you're due.[Via Gadling, image courtesy of GPS Tracklog]
They stupids limit the size of the screen? There are tons of 7 inch junk devices have 2 inch frames! Unfair on thin frames.
Holy Crap!!!
There was a law about this? I just spent about 4-5000 km driving around California for a holiday with a GPS stuck on the windshield. Never at any stage did I think that america would be that backward on something so trivial. In fact I found alot of their road rules and users forward thinking compared to Australia!! (Turn right at anytime on a red signal etc...)
Illegal... (As in "right now") So what. Fine me. What are the chances? And what is the fine??
To the person who cannot see the road if placing the GPS alongside the bottom of the windshield: you should be driving with your seat adjusted HIGHER. Drivers sitting so low that they hardly see out of the cars terrify me and make me giggle at the same time.
In my car the best place for the GPS is clearly the bottom-middle of the windshield. The far-left corner would be too far (there is a reason why it is called FAR left...) plus my GPS has touch-screen (I know, it is VERY advanced...) and I cannot touch it there. And I like touching mine time by time....
So, no to fining idiots driving with their micro dogs in their laps for the Gov, but he ok'd the lobby to put GPS back into your LOS and provide one more distraction for Joe Motorist? WTH???
the law already permitted for an object to take up those two corners of the windshield. it just made no direct statement about a screen or display of any kind. it was in cvc 26708 where it has been for years. the nearest-lower-five-inch and farthest-lower-seven-inch rules have been present for as long as i've been driving (1996).
if there was something about displays being prohibited in those areas, i had never seen it and i've seen countless drivers with them suctioned on in those locations for a very long time without ever seeing one pulled over on the road.
then again, i drive with my front side windows tinted to 15% and have only been ticketed for it once in two years (anything lower than 88% is illegal for reasons i can't surmise without laughing in california).
reference: http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc26708.htm dated 1996 to 1999; accessed 2008-10-01 @ 10:18 PDT
I was surprised to learn that it was illegal to stick a GPS anywhere to the windshield. I do feel that it is pretty stupid to put something on the window that may obstruct the view of the road, but I don't think that there should be specific regulations as to the exact placement of the GPS.
Common sense should dictate that you don't put anything up on the window where it blocks the view and perhaps the law should have ben constructed in a way that prevents vision from being obstructed, rather than regulating "police state" style where it CAN go.
If you are using a GPS at night the bright screen can cause your pupils to shrink and make it harder to see the road.
I frequently lose pedestrians, bikes and even entire cars behind my a-pillar if the lines of sight line up correctly, a GPS in the middle of the screen can hide a lot more than people think.
California is it's own little artificial bubble of reality. They think what is good for California , also applys to the rest of the world, without even considereing cultural or even sub-cultural differences. Narrow vantage points, but very booksmart people. Odd combination to be socially dumb, but very smart as a people.