Only Google Would Fight Legislators Looking To Keep Roads Safe

The Verge's Joshua Topolsky with Google Glass
The Verge's Joshua Topolsky with Google Glass

A new report from Reuters has accused Google of actively lobbying to prevent Google Glass from being banned while driving in a number of states. The idea is that having a heads up display inches from your eyes could present a number of distractions while driving.

Turns out the company responsible for the product doesn’t think so:

Google Inc has deployed lobbyists to persuade elected officials in Illinois, Delaware and Missouri that it is not necessary to restrict use of Google Glass behind the wheel, according to state lobbying disclosure records and interviews conducted by Reuters…

Google’s hoping the glasses will be a mainstay on your face, so taking them off at any point is probably contrary to its aims for the product. “We find that when people try it for themselves they better understand the underlying principle that it’s not meant to distract but rather connect people more with the world around them.”

I can’t even begin to understand why anyone could responsibly argue that having these things on your face while you drive is a good idea.

If you’re going to drive, drive. If you’re going to talk on the phone, talk on the phone. If you’re going to pretend you’re living in the future and rock Google Glass all day, maybe you should do it in a setting where you can’t kill people with your car.

Joshua is the Content Marketing Manager at BuySellAds. He’s also the founder of Macgasm.net. And since all that doesn’t quite give him enough content to wrangle, he’s also a technology journalist in his spare time, with bylines at PCWorld, Macworld and TechHive.