Is it legal to operate a GPS while driving?

What Garmin raccomend for your own safety ,that you should not enter any destination while driving,you could get distract and injury your self or someone else.However if a cop following behind you should notice that you are trying to operate a Gps while driving he may pull you over and ticket you.

Garmin also have a feature in the setting to prevent you to enter any destination while driving,you could enable or disable it.

Here's a nice summary of each state's laws regarding the use of electronic devices while driving

https://drivinglaws.aaa.com/laws/distracted-driving/

This from the same link, for Ontario.

"No person shall drive a motor vehicle on a highway while holding or using a hand-held wireless communication device, entertainment device, or other prescribed device that is capable of receiving or transmitting telephone communications, electronic data, mail or text messages."

It basically says, by virtue of omission, that GPS is acceptable. However, don't be complacent and assume that you can talk your way out of a ticket (soon to be $230) because you were holding the phone, while it was in GPS mode. In Ontario, police can and will charge you, just because you were holding the phone, regardless of what you were doing with it at the time, even while stopped at a light. The courts have backed up the police.

So, to put it simply, virtually every state or province has a restriction on texting while in the car, and some of those also completely ban cell phone use in a moving vehicle. The one place that doesn't have any restrictions - Nunavut - has no provincial highway network and too few citizens to make such legislation worthwhile. It probably doesn't hurt that cell phone service in the North is spotty, unreliable, and slow. In fact, it was only at the end of 2013 that anyone even thought to try upgrading the cell phone network to 3G in the area.

These laws all have focused on cell phones. Not one of them touches on a GPS, likely because of two things:

1. The assumption exists that the user enters the information prior to traveling.
2. The GPS manufacture has a safe mode enabled by default and the average person doesn't bother shutting it off.

So, by the letter of the law is it illegal to program a GPS on the go? No. However it's definitely not recommended for the same reasons texting on a cell phone while driving isn't recommended. Plus, it will only take one incident for the lawmakers to expand the law.

My nüvi 760 can connect to my phone via Bluetooth...

Are you bringing up the phone on the GPS and using its screen as the keyboard or are you using the unit to dial the number from within the POI without having to enter each digit?

Dialing the phone is different than having the GPS send the number. My car connects to my phone and I can tell it to call someone in my phone book, dial a number given verbally or I can use the number pad screen on the display to touch the numbers. It's the last example that is the most egregious and would clearly fall into "dialing" the phone.

California Appeals Court Rules State Law Doesn't Prohibit Driver Use of Smartphone Maps

http://www.macrumors.com/2014/02/27/appeals-court-overturns-...

Thank you!

"GPS" was not mentioned anywhere on that page. I'm pretty sure that NJ is one of the states that prohibits operating a GPS while driving/moving.

Lots of states and provinces have a 'Distracted Driving' law already in place.

Personally, I just prefer not to test the law. You usually lose.

Thank you for the link.

http://www.nj.gov/oag/hts/phone_down_overview.html

the Alberta law says you are not allowed to program a GPS while driving.

Highlights:

Restricts drivers from:
using hand-held cell phones
texting or e-mailing
using electronic devices like laptop computers, video games, cameras, video entertainment displays and programming portable audio players (e.g., MP3 players)
entering information on GPS units
reading printed materials in the vehicle
writing, printing or sketching, and
personal grooming
Complements the current driving without due care and attention legislation
Applies to all vehicles as defined by the Traffic Safety Act, including bicycles
Applies to all roads in both urban and rural areas of the province
The fine for this new offence is $172

I can see problem. I need to change destinations, search restaurants while traveling, gas stations, etc. Rarely do I program it before I start a trip. After starting car takes while for it to boot up and lock in; meanwhile I'm on the road waiting to enter info while I drive. Oh well,,,,

Have you seen the dash cam video where a vehicle T-Bones a truck and trailer pulling out of a side road?

The driver of the truck and trailer is clearly holding his cell phone to his ear and not even looking at the oncoming traffic. That is not an example of distracted driving, that is STUPID driving!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QKkJsQxZCA

Yeah, I try to minimize this, but am guilty of it as well. I suppose many here like us know better but do it at least sometimes. We need to remember it is dangerous and work to eliminate it. As the driver I have eliminated cellphone use in the car and have never texted there. The laws often make an exception for hands-free and voice-controlled but so far statistics suggest to me that it's not really safer as the law presumes. Eventually all of it will likely be illegal everywhere though enforcing hands-free, voice-controlled would be a challenge at best. And what you're supposed to do while hurtling along at highway speeds and needing to change your destination is a mystery. Maybe by the time it's all figured out, all vehicles will be robotically controlled anyway.

in new York it is illegal to text while driving $175.00 in long island my friend as one last week I don't feel sorry for her

that Garmin's voice command on 3490 is not much use at all.

This guy was charged with Careless Driving, Distracted Driving and possibly a couple of other things.

Also, Ontario talking about raising fine to $1000 plus 3 demerit points. However, this may just be a ploy for an anticipated election call this year. Don't expect the legislation to see the light of day for some time.

I don't see why you "Need" to do any of that while driving. You're going on a trip that may take an hour or more, so is it too much to spend 2 minutes to put the destination in, before you put the car in drive.

I stopped this practice after I veered into the other lane one day, with a car coming in the other direction.

Also in my experience with my older NUVI 350, I found that it latches onto satellites much faster if I wasn't moving.

Whether the GPS is specifically outlawed or not, "they" can get you through many other rules such as distracted driving, etc.

The fact and the matter is we've all learned that we should never take our eyes off the road but then, we're also told to watch our speed (unless you've got a HUD display, you have to look down), to change gear (takes on hand off the wheel), etc.

So somehow there is not absolute. For example, looking at the GPS screen doesn't take longer than looking at the speedometer. Reorienting the GPS for a better looking angle doesn't take longer than changing gear.

Entering an address seems to be a bit too involved while driving, but selecting a favorite is more debatable.

I hope and wish there wouldn't be different rules for different cities and states. And I sure hope this will not become over-regulated like too many things already.

Drive safe....

I heard about a place called The Land of the Free. I think the Malaysian jet went there.

I'm actually pretty impressed with voice command on my 2460.

I agree, I have a 2460 and as long as it's quite in the vehicle when you use it works very well.

I have noticed this also on my 1390 and 1450.