According to the LA Times, a California appellate court ruled on Thursday that holding a cell phone while driving for the purpose of viewing GPS tracking applications is legal. The appeals case is the result of a Fresno man contesting a ticket he received for using the GPS tracking software application on his cell phone (in hand) to figure out how to avert being caught in a traffic jam. After receiving the ticket, the man argued that the 2006 law banned only talking on cell phones while driving–unless a hands-free device is used. After losing in lower courts, the appellate court reversed the earlier decisions, citing that the 2006 law came into effect during a time when cell phones were largely used for talking only–not the myriad of available cell phone apps, including GPS tracking apps, used today. In addition, the appellate opinion stated that banning handling of a cell phone to use a GPS tracking app while driving could also lead to “ridiculous” outcomes, including making it illegal to check a phone for the current time, or simply moving the phone around in the car, for example, from a dashboard to a seat while driving.
Source: http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-cellphone-court-20140228,0,3881509.story#axzz2uejZggdq
