Schwarzenegger signs GPS bill

GPS users in California can breathe a little easier. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed legislation that makes it legal in the Golden State to mount a navigation device on your windshield.

California was one of only two states -- Minnesota is the other -- that made it a crime to mount navi screens on your windshield. Violators faced a $108 fine.

A bill authored by Sen. Jenny Oropeza (D-Long Beach) easily passed both houses of the Legislature in mid-summer. But it stalled when the governor stopped signing new legislation as part of the impasse over the  state budget, which Schwarzenegger finally endorsed last week. (Read more about SB 1567 in a related story.)

Under the new law, a GPS device can be mounted on the windshield within tightly defined areas: in a seven-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield farthest from the driver, or in a five-inch zone in the lower corner nearest the driver. The device also must be outside the vehicle’s air bag deployment zones.

The law takes effect Jan. 1.

-- Martin Zimmerman

Photo of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signing the state budget by the Associated Press

Comments

[Sean B]

I wonder if it allowed mounting in these areas for GPS units only, or anything attached to the inside of the windshield (including radar detectors, notepads, etc.).

VC 26708 prohibited anything that reduced the "visible area" through the windshield. Other casualties were fuzzy dice and superchargers / scoops that protruded from the hood.

[Robert]

Why the corners of the windshield? Most people mount those in the center, where it doesn't seem to block anything you need to see. <>

[J B]

Robert, although your view of vehicles won't generally be obscured when a device is mounted in the location mentioned, your view of pedestrians or cyclists often will be blocked. Imagine someone in a crosswalk walking from your right toward your left, and I believe you can readily imagine the blind spot created by devices mounted in that spot. Rear view mirrors do the same thing to a lesser degree but the enhanced safety they provide is viewed as worthwhile trade-off. Now that the new location is approved, pedestrians will be well advised to remember they play a role in their safety and should establish eye contact and driver recognition before stepping in front of a stopped vehicle. Drive safe. JB

[Stevie]

This is unbelievable nonsense