Driver fined for using Google’s high-tech goggles

A US motorist has become the first to fall foul of the law while wearing glasses – Google glasses, that is.

Californian driver Cecilia Abadie has received a ticket from police for speeding above the state’s 65mph limit – about 105km/h.

However, as well as the speeding fine, Ms Abadie has also received an infringement for driving with a monitor visible to the driver, a reference to the Google Glass device she was wearing at the time she was hit with the ticket.

Australia has similar laws that ban the use of screens anywhere they are visible to the driver. In Victoria, police can even stop and fine a driver if a DVD player’s screen is visible to drivers in other vehicles.

Google is the first of several computing and software giants looking to make wearable devices.

Google Glass, which looks like a slightly odd pair of normal glasses, is able to project an image in front of the wearer’s eye – much like a head-up display in a car – and project information, or even take photos.

The device is still in early trials and is yet to be released on the market.