Ticket issued to driver wearing Google Glass

  The smart glasses are controlled by touch and voice

A Californian woman has been issued with a traffic ticket for driving while wearing Google Glass.

On 30 October, Cecilia Abadie was pulled over and issued with a ticket for speeding and wearing the smart glasses while driving.

Ms Abadie was cited for breaking a Californian law which prohibits people from watching TV while driving. She is now considering whether to take legal action to fight the ticket on the grounds that the device was turned off.

Ms Abadie used her page on the Google+ social network to document her experience and share a picture of the ticket that was issued to her.

On that document, the policeman cited Ms Abadie for driving at 80mph (128km/h) in a 65mph zone on Interstate 15 in San Diego and because she was "driving with monitor visible to driver (Google Glass)". When contacted, a spokesman for the Californian Highway Patrol said this was in violation of state vehicle code 27602. In her comments on Google+, Ms Abadie said the officer who stopped her said wearing the smart spectacles was a danger because they could obscure her view of the road and other vehicles.

In her defence, she said she regularly drove while wearing the gadget but never turned it on. Google Glass is a wearable computer controlled by voice and touch that projects information on to a lens and in the eyeline of the owner.

Many of those who posted comments to her page said Google Glass might be covered by exceptions in the 27602 code that let a driver view a display if it shows maps, GPS or can help "enhance or supplement the driver's view".

In addition, some offered to curate a fund that would help pay for any legal representation Ms Abadie needed to fight the ticket. This is setting a precedent for other cities and even states and could be an important case. But if you add up the pros and cons of using this device while driving....it probably falls on the con side.