Chase Bernath / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Legislators in Illinois are already changing hands-free driving laws to address smart glasses.
- The state is preparing to explicitly deny smart glasses an exception for hands-free usage.
- The rule appears to apply equally to audio-only glasses and those equipped with displays.
Smart glasses feel like they could finally be right on the cusp of going mainstream, just like we saw with smart watches well over a decade ago. But not everyone’s excited about their burgeoning popularity, and pushback against certain aspects of the tech keeps building momentum, too. While some lawmakers are concerned about legislating requirements for mandatory recording lights, others are turning their attention to the use of smart glasses when you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle.
Smartphone bans for drivers are already quite pervasive, with many localities forbidding anything but hands-free phone usage. You might think that smart glasses would get a pass then, on account of them being largely designed around hands-free operation, but we’re already starting to see progress on legislation to restrict their usage.
The State of Illinois is preparing to amend its restrictions on the use of electronic communication devices while driving to now specifically target smart glasses (via Gizmodo). But rather than explicitly carving out an exception for hands-free glasses, the new language does the exact opposite:
With regard to electronic communication devices: provides that an electronic device includes artificial intelligence smart glasses; and changes a reference to Twitter to X. Provides that exceptions to the use of an electronic communication device while driving do not apply to the use of artificial intelligence smart glasses when using the electronic communication device in hands-free or voice-operated mode or when the vehicle is stopped due to normal traffic being obstructed and the driver has the motor vehicle transmission in neutral or park.
It’s hard to read that as anything other than a direct attack on the tech. Perhaps the lack of an exception is designed to make things easier on law enforcement officers, as it could prove extremely difficult to tell if a user was actively interacting with their smart glasses just by observing them.
There’s similarly no distinction in here between audio-only glasses like Google and Samsung’s upcoming “Intelligent Eyewear” and glasses with built-in displays like the just-launched Snap Specs.
Right now, Illinois has passed its bill and it’s just waiting to be signed into law before the new restrictions take effect. With the way smart glasses are taking off, it feels like it’s just going to be a matter of time before we start seeing similar laws hit the books in other states.
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