Turn right in a Quarter Mile – No
There is no doubt that the use of handheld technology while driving has become increasingly problematic, especially in my home state of California. According to the National Safety Council, talking on cell phones or texting while driving accounts for approximately28%of all car crashes nationwide. That being said, there are definitely benefits and arguably some necessities to having access to certain apps such as Google maps or an equivalent while on the road.
Anyone who has ever made a wrong turn or taken the wrong exit knows how it feels to be lost while driving. It is not a pleasant feeling. One minute you're on your merry way, thinking you know where your going, and suddenly everything around you is foreign. It is akin to the moment when you are in the grocery store as a child and suddenly you look up and your parents are nowhere in sight. Fortunately, we live in a technologically progressing world in which we no longer have to rely on our wits and that crusty yellow road map in the glove compartment.
On that note, should these apps be outlawed, the most effective alternatives to map apps are printed out or written directions. Frankly, I fail to see how those are any less distracting than map apps. In fact, before I began to use Google maps for long distance journeys, I printed out the directions from my home computer. The only thing worse than reading a quick text message while driving is trying to decipher map directions while driving. Especially if, as is often the case for hand written directions, the directions do not come with a visual map. So while your map app is helplessly sitting there in all of its automated-voice-notifications-and-satellite-GPS glory; you are trying to read your friend's chicken scratch handwriting. I am usually a large proponent of the traditional way of doing things, and if it works for you then by all means continue to do so; but legally having fully functional GPS in the palm of your hand (and without spending the money for a specialized GPS system) outweighs many consequences that might arise from accessing those apps while driving.
More than anything I believe people are going to do what they want whether it is legal or not. The Law didn't stop people from drinking in the 20s, it hasn't stopped people from talking on their cell phones in California, or even going over the speed limit for that matter. And why should it? How many more laws will be put in place until we live in a perfect society where everybody pays attention while they drive, goes 65 miles per hour on the freeway, wears their seat belt, and smiles for Big Brother at every stop sign? I'm not saying that people should stop following the law, but that from what I've seen, the rule followers will continue to follow the rules and the rule breakers will continue to break them. That is to say, even if this law does become reality; I have no doubt that people will punch in their destination at the intersection and set their iPhones in the cup holder while it tells them where to go.
