California and windshield mount

 

Hi all,
I'm new to this hobby and have been using my windshield to mount the GPS. I live in California but have seen drivers, including my cousin (who is using it for 3 yrs) cluttered their windshield with radar detectors besides the GPS.
So my question for you guys living in California, if you or somebody you know who got ticketed using the windshield to mount your Gps?..is it really enforced?..thanks for the input.

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This gives me comfort?

safety wrote:

I think that getting a ticket for items on your windshield is an "add-on" ticket kinda like seat belt tickets. You usually won't get the ticket unless you are being pulled over for something else first.

Dear Safety,

I do not understand why that would bring me comfort. The times I have been pulled over were for DWB (i.e., I was not alone in the car). I am not sure what inference I should reasonably draw from your post: perhaps that when in California, I should refrain from mounting my GPSr on the window when committing DWB?

david

P.S. When committing DWB, it is just the add-on ticket you receive unless you are pulled over by Deputy Sheriff Cecil Price or one of his brothers.

--
nüvi 1490T, V1, Sanyo PRO-700a, maps, sunglasses, hot co-pilot, the open road

Dashboard Mount

I have been trying to find a good place to mount the unit other than on the windshield next to the mirror,
but unfortunately, the way my 96' Plymouth Voyager is designed, I cant mount the suction cup anywhere where it will stay put... at the end of the day, it ends up on the windshield to the right of the rearview mirror anyways. I WISH I could secure it to the dash somewhere but it just isnt happening with my Garmin C320

Car makers

n8tyv wrote:

...
Car makers are slow to realize that people want to trick out their cars. It took them 50 years for cup holders. How many years for radios?...

I think they want you to buy their build-in in-dash GPS they chagre $3000 for it.

Police State?

thrak wrote:

They can stop you for almost anything they want any time they want.

So true. Other posts recommend that we must be polite (subservient?) to the officer. It makes we wonder about our "land of the free". It sounds like we live in a police state.

--
Garmin nuvi 260w, iPod, Hyundai Genesis, Macintosh

the unmistakable aroma of the coffee

kfkolonel wrote:
thrak wrote:

They can stop you for almost anything they want any time they want.

So true. Other posts recommend that we must be polite (subservient?) to the officer. It makes we wonder about our "land of the free". It sounds like we live in a police state.

Dear KFC,

The reason why we celebrate each May 2nd is that right-thinking folks are trying to undo the deeds of the most horrible criminal of the 20th Century, who died on May 2, 1972.

david

P.S. He was also the ugliest criminal of the century and the red dress did not help.

P.P.S. Nikita de-Stalinised the USSR within two years of Uncle Joe's demise; the building that houses the US national police force is still named for the ugly criminal.

--
nüvi 1490T, V1, Sanyo PRO-700a, maps, sunglasses, hot co-pilot, the open road

stickers in windows?

capst wrote:

There really is no difference other than the section used. 26708 (a) (1) is for a suction cup (or lots of other things) attached to the window.
(a) (2) would be used for something on the dash obstructing views:

26708. (a) (1) No person shall drive any motor vehicle with any
object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied
upon the windshield or side or rear windows.

SO apparently - having ANYTHING attached to the window is illegal. I have several stickers along my rear view window, a presidential campaign sticker and 2 radio station stickers. (Actually my presidential sticker is from 2004 so its been there a while). Even on the 2 occasions i've been pulled over for seatbelt violations, the cops didnt say a word. COurse I'm normally very polite to cops, so I didnt give them any reason to bother with anything but the seatbelt....

Friction mount, to be safe

I'm new to the whole GPSr market (just ordered a c580 after much deliberation and research), and I've lived in California all my life. I ordered a friction dash mount to go with my new GPSr so that I don't have to worry about this whole thing. Anyhow, the friction mount, being easily removed from the dash, should keep my car from advertising my GPSr to thieves. wink I really wouldn't want to use the suction mount anyway because of this.

GPSr's don't seem terribly common in my part of the state (Central Valley), and I don't recall seeing anyone with one in the windshield.

That being said, I still hope the GPS exception that just passed the State Senate makes it into the law books.

--
Andrew • nüvi 680

Bill 1567 signed into law - effect January 1, 2009

Fred Zahradnik, About.com wrote:

In late September, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law Senate Bill 1567, the GPS Windshield Safety Act, which permits the mounting of portable GPS units in specific areas of vehicle windshields. Windshield mounting was previously illegal in California, and those who ignored the law were sometimes ticketed and fined $108 for "obstructed windshield" violations. California drivers take note: the new law does not take effect until January 1, 2009.
.....
.....
California was one of only two states (the other is New Jersey) banning windshield GPS mounting.

http://gps.about.com/od/trends/a/GPS_Bill.htm

Obstruction of view

Hi, everyone,

For those who wonder why some folks are cited, and some are not, the reason "could be" as simple as whether having a GPS stuck to your windshield is classified as a "primary offense" in your state. An example of this is seat belt use. Wearing a seat belt has been the "law" in my home state for many, many years, but when the law was initially enacted is was classified as a "secondary offense", meaning that an officer could not pull you over for that violation alone. Now, that has changed. Not wearing a seat belt is a "primary offense".

Miki

I think they changed it now.

I think they changed it now.

Blocked view?

“No person shall drive 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.”

So, if my GPS is mounted so low that the only thing it blocks is the view to the hood of my car, I'm OK? Perhaps not, it just says 'clear view through the windshield'... sad Lawyers...

--
Nuvi260

To my fellow Californians

To my fellow Californians help is on its way. It is called the "Senate Bill 1567"

5/15/2008

California lawmakers vote to stop police from ticketing motorists for using windshield-mounted GPS units.

The California state Senate voted 38-1 last Thursday to legalize the use of portable GPS navigation units in automobiles. Under current law, police can pull over and ticket motorists who have anything mounted on the windshield not authorized by the state. GPS-using motorists stung by expensive "obstructed view" citations are often unaware that using a device specifically designed for in-car use could be illegal. To date, California has only carved out exemptions for the use of window tint, toll road transponders and stickers used to remind motorists of an upcoming oil change.

Senate Bill 1567 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. According to the bill, the device may be installed, "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."

State Senator Jenny Oropeza (D-Long Beach) led the effort to update the state's vehicle code. Her bill has earned endorsements from the California Motor Car Dealers Association and the California Space Authority, a non-profit group that represents the state's $22 billion satellite industry. The bill now heads to the state Assembly for consideration and its text is available in a 150k PDF file at the source link below.

Via: http://dist28.casen.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_PR&SEC=%7...

your last ticket

jpbrannigan wrote:

The last ticket I got I had my gps mounted to the windshield in plain sight. The cop never said anything regarding the GPS, my speed was a different thing! smile

Maybe you should have cluttered the windshield with radar a detector beside the GPSr.

--
Using Android Based GPS.The above post and my sig reflects my own opinions, expressed for the purpose of informing or inspiring, not commanding. Naturally, you are free to reject or embrace whatever you read.

Update: The new law goes

Update:
The new law goes into effect January 1st 2009.

In late September, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law Senate Bill 1567, the GPS Windshield Safety Act, which permits the mounting of portable GPS units in specific areas of vehicle windshields. Windshield mounting was previously illegal in California, and those who ignored the law were sometimes ticketed and fined $108 for "obstructed windshield" violations. California drivers take note: the new law does not take effect until January 1, 2009.

The Bad News:
The new law, however, has an odd clause that specifies the GPS must be mounted within "a 7-inch square area in the lower corner of the windshield farthest removed from the driver (the passenger side) or in a 5-inch square area in the lower corner of the windshield nearest to the driver (the lower left corner of the windshield)." That means the most common and useful front-and-center GPS windshield mount is still banned. Also, many standard GPS power cords are not long enough to reach from a power port, all the way to the lower corners of a windshield (not to mention the increased wire clutter created by these corner mounting locations).

Bumped

Bumped

--
Using Android Based GPS.The above post and my sig reflects my own opinions, expressed for the purpose of informing or inspiring, not commanding. Naturally, you are free to reject or embrace whatever you read.

Bologna

nothing more to say, you voted all the idiots in.

--
Using Android Based GPS.The above post and my sig reflects my own opinions, expressed for the purpose of informing or inspiring, not commanding. Naturally, you are free to reject or embrace whatever you read.

older post

asianfire wrote:

Every state has a "obstruction of view" law. LEOs will only give you a ticket for it (in the cases that I have heard) if one of the following applies

1) He feels like it
2) You piss him off and he wants to give you a ticket for something
3) He stops you and wants to "Give it to you" and cites tickets for any infraction.

Like the above said, it isn't the highest priority of a LEO to stop someone solely based on "obstruction of view" violation.

I have heard people getting tickets for their radar detectors being on the windshield solely based on the fact that LEOs (and I can't blame them) don't care for RDs.

Charley
so your saying if the cops wife doesn't give him loven the night before and he has a attitude your in trouble..thats police abuse at it's best except he's using a ticket book instead of a billy club.There is either a law or there isn't. either it's enforced or not.
Again it's a case a few people knowing whats good for everyone else, and even the police don't want to enforce the stupid law. unless they have a chip on their shoulder of course.

As far as you not caring for Radar Detectors is concerned, Gee I wounder why? Because you live in a state that has made them illegal, which I have no problem with because it is enforced across the board. I can't imagine why you don't care for them? OH, it's illegal to own one or use it.

--
Using Android Based GPS.The above post and my sig reflects my own opinions, expressed for the purpose of informing or inspiring, not commanding. Naturally, you are free to reject or embrace whatever you read.

California, Radar, Laser, Lidar

There is a difference between Radar Detectors and Radar Jammers. Radar Jammers and Laser Jammers are illegal to use and operate along with Police Scanners in the commission of a crime. All other uses are permitted. As far as not being able to use Radar & Lidar detectors, that pertains to commercial vehicle weighing over 10,000 pounds. For all other purposes, radar and lidar detectors are legal in California.

http://www.ncsl.org/programs/transportation/radar.htm

SOunds like it's just

SOunds like it's just something else that is at the discrection of the officer.

discrection of the officer

The judge might not agree!
Take a picture to court.

Caalifornia windshield mount

Effect January 1, 2009
Thank you SB 1567 and Arnie
California..... smile

When a vehicle is being driven, any portable GPS device in use and affixed to the windshield must be located either in a 7 inch square in the LOWER RIGHT corner or in a 5 inch square in the LOWER LEFT corner. The GPS device must not interfere with the deployment of an air bag. Motorists may still mount a GPS device on top of the dash as long as it doesn't block there view of the road.

joemac wink

Just as a foot note. exclaim We enforce the windshield mount, seat belt and cell phone and now texting as a second offense. Get stopped for a traffic violation and you will have the other violation added to the citation.

--
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming---WOW!! WHAT A RIDE!!!" Member 2854

It's now legal in CA

calvin888 wrote:
joemac wrote:

California Senate Bill 1567. The California state Senate voted 38-1 to legalize the use of portable GPS navigation units in Automobiles. There are some restrictions to the size and placement of the unit.
The Bill now heads to the State Assembly for Consideration. :smile:Joemac

Good news, hope it becomes law soon.

Car makers should also provide space available for User devices.

Looks like you got your wish. Effective 1/1/2009, drivers must limit these devices to a seven-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield on the passenger side, or a five-inch square in the lower corner on the driver's side.

--
Nuvi 660 -- and not upgrading it or maps until Garmin fixes long-standing bugs/problems, and get maps to where they are much more current, AND corrected on a more timely basis when advised of mistakes.

:)

Hope this goes National!

--
"For those who fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know."

not all people's idea of safety is the same

drbillk wrote:

Hope this goes National!

Really? With the majority of the population being right handed, do you really want them crossing their arm in front of the steering wheel to tap their GPS in the far left corner of the windshield, or insanely trying to stretch to reach the far right corner of the windshield? If the GPS was allowed in the bottom center of your windshield, what part of your vision would it block? For me it would block a view of a small portion of my engine compartment hood, but I could still see enough of the hood to know if I had hit a pedestrian and he was on the hood. It would not block my view of the road at all, and would be much safer to operate than the California standards.

That's why

Frovingslosh wrote:
drbillk wrote:

Hope this goes National!

Really? With the majority of the population being right handed, do you really want them crossing their arm in front of the steering wheel to tap their GPS in the far left corner of the windshield, or insanely trying to stretch to reach the far right corner of the windshield? If the GPS was allowed in the bottom center of your windshield, what part of your vision would it block? For me it would block a view of a small portion of my engine compartment hood, but I could still see enough of the hood to know if I had hit a pedestrian and he was on the hood. It would not block my view of the road at all, and would be much safer to operate than the California standards.

You do as my son in CA does - use a bean bag mount as it is on the dash and not the windshield. If I remember the law correctly (and it has been MANY years since I read it last) it specifically talked about the rear view mirror and windshield.

--
ɐ‾nsǝɹ Just one click away from the end of the Internet

Subject field is required.

a_user wrote:

You do as my son in CA does - use a bean bag mount as it is on the dash and not the windshield. If I remember the law correctly (and it has been MANY years since I read it last) it specifically talked about the rear view mirror and windshield.

Although I realize many people like it, the bean bag just doesn't seem that wise to me. It seems like there is potential for a dangerous projectile in the event of a collision or other sudden vehicle movement. I still have a patch of Velcro on my dash from when I used my old Garmin GPS 38 in the car. With both the Velcro and the 38 being attached to a short bungee cord that clipped in right next to the windshield, that was a pretty safe way to mount it.

But my point was that just because California decides to do something one way, it might not be the best way, and perhaps shouldn't be wished on the rest of the country. In my state I'm still allowed (as far as I know) to mount the GPS whee I stated, it blocks no part of my road view. and is much easier and safer to tap than either California location. I certainly don't hope the California restrictions are expanded across the nation.

Right hand on steering wheel, please!

Frovingslosh wrote:
drbillk wrote:

Hope this goes National!

Really? With the majority of the population being right handed, do you really want them crossing their arm in front of the steering wheel to tap their GPS in the far left corner of the windshield...

When I had mine dash mounted, I found the best location was in the left corner. As a right-handed person, I felt more comfortable with my right hand on the steering wheel and tapping with my left. My left hand runs the turn signals, wipers, headlights, Hi/Low beams, cruise control and the steering wheel mounted radio controls.

Subject field is required.

johnc wrote:

Right hand on steering wheel, please!...... As a right-handed person, I felt more comfortable with my right hand on the steering wheel and tapping with my left. My left hand runs the turn signals, wipers, headlights, Hi/Low beams, cruise control and the steering wheel mounted radio controls.

To each his own, but that seems awkward to me. Of course, for safety both hands are normally on the wheel, but the turn signal and lights can be activated with a finger or two without completely taking the left hand from the wheel. The right hand naturally leaves the wheel for many valid reasons, including shifting and even reaching over to turn on the defroster. Can't safely and reasonably keep the right hand on the wheel, but can pretty much do it with the left.

And which hand for....

Frovingslosh wrote:

To each his own, but that seems awkward to me.

I guess it's mostly because I can only do one-handed texting with my right hand. The buttons are so much larger on the GPS that it's easier to fiddle with the GPS lefty while texting with the righty. grin

Still no good

My van has very long windshield. 5-inch limit makes my GPS too far for me to reach. My dash is sloped down forward. The bean bag flies forward to the far end during a mild hard brake.

What other states have similar windshield mount law?

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what other states have similar windshield mount law?

If I drive pass one of these states, will the law apply to me as well?

Is talking on the cellular phone with one hand hold it also violating the law?

Thanks,

--
John

Re: What other states have similar windshield mount law?

Quote:

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what other states have similar windshield mount law?

Minnesota is the only other state I know of that has windshield mount laws.

Quote:

If I drive pass one of these states, will the law apply to me as well?

Yes.

Friction Pad

calvin888 wrote:

My van has very long windshield. 5-inch limit makes my GPS too far for me to reach. My dash is sloped down forward. The bean bag flies forward to the far end during a mild hard brake.

Calvin, buy one of those "Friction Pads" from a autoparts store. They are made of silicon and they advertise them for keeping cellphones, sunglasses etc... from sliding on dash. I put one on my dash and set the bean bag mount on it and it has yet to slide. They are transferrable from car to car but you have to clean the base once in awhile if you move it around.

"fly" forward

mourton wrote:

Calvin, buy one of those "Friction Pads" from a autoparts store.....

Thanks for the advice!

My bean bag does not slide, the friction is good when there is a surface to attach. It works fine in my other car the dash is sloped down to the driver/passengers.

But the dash of my van is sloped down toward the engine. The momentum of a hard brake lifted the bean bag up from the surface. It actually "fly" forward.

Seeing windhield mounts everywhere

During the holidays, I saw windshield mounted Navigation Units all over the place in Southern California and have been seeing them thus far this year. Maybe it's one of those laws that don't get enforced unless the police want a reason to stop you and that can be a convenient one for them.
I myself use the friction mount which works great and is now sold in Best Buy stores.

Am I reading this right - windshield mount NOT against the law?

Here is the NO PART
CA 26708. (a) (1) ( )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

... Here is the GPS exception
(b) This section does not apply to any of the following:
...
(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.

Here is the link:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d12/vc26708.htm

Yes, you are

Yes you are reading this right. I think that leaves Minnesota as the only state with a total ban on windshield mounted objects.

Note, however, that the California law requires the GPS to be to the LEFT of the steering wheel or all the way over to the right of the passenger if mounted on the windshield.

--
Nuvi 350, 760, 1695LM, 3790LMT, 2460LMT, 3597LMTHD, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, DriveSmart 61, Garmin Drive 52, Garmin Backup Camera 40 and TomTom XXL540s.

Law seems to say GPS windshield mounting is OK

[sorry if this double posts - I'm new at this, but]
It seems it is ok if you mount it on the lower right or left of the windshield. Am I reading this wrong?

Here is the part of the law that says "NO":
Material Obstructing or Reducing Driver's View
26708. (a) (1) ( )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.

But here is the allowance:
...[Section](b) This section does not apply to any of the following:

(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.

Welcome

terrysmz wrote:

[sorry if this double posts - I'm new at this, but]
It seems it is ok if you mount it on the lower right or left of the windshield. Am I reading this wrong?

Yes, as mentioned above, to the left of the steering wheel and all the way over to the right by the passenger.

--
Nuvi 350, 760, 1695LM, 3790LMT, 2460LMT, 3597LMTHD, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, DriveSmart 61, Garmin Drive 52, Garmin Backup Camera 40 and TomTom XXL540s.

Simple resolution to window mounted devices...

As I was a truck driver, I had my GPS unit mounted to my dashboard via plastic Disc... If you have your GPS unit out of Direct line of site but still able to utilize the tool properly, then the laws won't even be an issue...

--
Living on the road was tough, living off the road is even tougher. To all my fellow drivers, keep the shiny side up, and watch out for the polar bears... Owner of Garmin Nuvi 200 / Tom Tom One 3rd Edition.

blah i ahte subjexcts

shrek99352 wrote:

As I was a truck driver, I had my GPS unit mounted to my dashboard via plastic Disc... If you have your GPS unit out of Direct line of site but still able to utilize the tool properly, then the laws won't even be an issue...

That's exactly what I do. Of course, I had forgotten the law had been changed. I may or may not move it now. It's working fine with the plastic disc on the dash, doesnt obstruct the windshield at all, so I will probably jsut leave it for now....I'm debating now, I may try the windshield mount contraption and see how i like it, at some point...

I used a ram mount

I used a ram mount that I have on my motorcycle but attached it to the rear view Mirror and works great, this is a no problems with view and the mount is light enough not to pull the rear view Mirror off.
I use it with my iPhone and my nuvi, I got it at www.themountdepot.com. the product was for the my iphone. You need to use the plastic spacer that is include to hold properly.

http://www.themountdepot.com/RAM_B_149Z_AP6U_p/ram-b-149z-ap...

Windshield Mount in the OC

Just got a ticket last week for speeding. The nice CHP officer mentioned the ball hitch that obscured my rear license plate and cracked windshield (directly under my Garmin 265WT windshield mount), but no mention of the windshield mount GPS.

GPS on Windshield

I am a commercial truck driver and I mount my GPS and Sirius radio to my truck windshield and in our personal vehicles we mount our gps's and have never had a problem. I am from Southern California. Also, I have heard that it is illegal to mount anything on your windshield, however, going thru many many DOT scales, I have not once been issued a ticket for it.

Why Not..!!..?

Beda said in part..

beda wrote:

..I'm not looking for mini skirts anyway

You're missing out on a good thing if you don't. wink

Nuvi1300WTGPS

--
I'm not really lost.... just temporarily misplaced!

Windshield GPS Mounts

California law prohibits anything on your windshield except in the bottom right 7 inch square. Therefore GPS devices, etc. are not allowed. Is it enforced, not to my knowledge, unless perhaps it is a contributing factor in an accident. Hope this helps a little. CHP retired

Not so

downtheroadagain wrote:

California law prohibits anything on your windshield except in the bottom right 7 inch square. Therefore GPS devices, etc. are not allowed. Is it enforced, not to my knowledge, unless perhaps it is a contributing factor in an accident. Hope this helps a little. CHP retired

AFAIK the particular law which covers where a GPS can be positioned on a windshield is covered under California V C Section 26708 Material Obstructing or Reducing Driver x2019 s View. Under section 12 of that document it reads:

(12) A portable Global Positioning System (GPS), which may be mounted in a seven-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield farthest removed from the driver or in a five-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield nearest to the driver and outside of an airbag deployment zone,, if the system is used only for door-to-door navigation while the motor vehicle is being operated."

The document noted above also lists other things that can be affixed to the windshield and where they can be located.

The full document I'm referring to can be seen at:

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/vctop/vc/d12/c...

--
Nuvi 350, 760, 1695LM, 3790LMT, 2460LMT, 3597LMTHD, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, DriveSmart 61, Garmin Drive 52, Garmin Backup Camera 40 and TomTom XXL540s.

But from the pictures I've

But from the pictures I've seen of deployed airbags you'd have to be halfway across the windshield to be clear if the airbag goes off if they are the ones around the side pillars of the windshield.

Affixing things at both

Affixing things at both corners of the windshield goes back even before GPS were around. The areas were meant for stickers. The enforcement were pretty relaxed. I remember my college days back in the early 70's when the college required parking stickers be placed on the bottom corner of the windshield. Well every student had it build up all along the vertical edge of the windshield (no one ever removed the previous quarter's parking sticker). I never had any problem with CHP with stickers blocking view of windshield beyond the 5" & 7" squares.

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