New Zealand Says You Can't Use Your Mobile Phone For Navigation While Driving

from the because-that-would-upset-the-GPS-device-makers dept

Tue, Sep 29th 2009 5:28pm — Mike Masnick

Brendan was the first of a few to submit the story that New Zealand is telling people that they can't use their mobile phones for navigation purposes, even if that phone is mounted on the dashboard like a regular GPS navigation device. Regular GPS devices are fine... but a mobile phone acting just like one of those devices? That's illegal. Why? No one seems to be saying, but you can bet the standalone GPS makers are happy about this... Update: Well, that was fast. Given public backlash, the gov't has already decided to back down and rewrite the laws to allow mobile phone navigation systems.

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Filed Under: driving, gps, navigation, new zealand

16 Comments

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Misanthropist (profile), 29 Sep 2009 @ 5:47pm

huh
Gee, I wonder what lobbying group paid for this legislation.
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slackr (profile), 29 Sep 2009 @ 6:22pm

Update
This was initially the case but the Government have realised the error of their ways. 3news.co.nz
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slackr (profile), 29 Sep 2009 @ 6:23pm

Re: Update
actually there's an update link in the original article now too.
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Mike Masnick (profile), 29 Sep 2009 @ 6:39pm

Re: Update
Aha! Updated the post. Thanks!
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Sep 2009 @ 6:51pm

It's funny to see how in the US they would have never retracted the law. Nice to see a govt that actually listens to its people.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Sep 2009 @ 7:18pm

Re: Re: Update
I'd say that the update would be worthy of it's own post.

Sad as it may be, it's quite impressive when legislators can promptly respond to public outcry and fix unintended side effects of legislation.
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zcat (profile), 29 Sep 2009 @ 7:58pm

Re:
You wish.

We had a referendum recently, following up on a fairly controversial change of law under the previous government. 54% of the electoral roll voted, 87.6% of those voted NO.

You think they listened?

http://www.voteno.org.nz/polls.htm
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Lawrence D'Oliveiro, 29 Sep 2009 @ 8:18pm

The Stupid Thing Is...
...there is already a law against driving “without due care and attention”, which you would think would be ample to catch those misusing mobile phones, make-up compacts, cheese graters, lion-taming kits, or indeed any past, present or future technological item that could reasonably cause a distraction. Yet the Government had to go out of its way to pass a new law specifically addressing mobile phones. Thereby catching some unintended fish in its net, which it then has to go back and release by adding yet another complication on top of the unnecessary complication it already introduced.
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Oh noes, 29 Sep 2009 @ 9:01pm

Oh noes
Look! An apostrophe! Let's lose our minds and fall over backwards, frothing at the mouth!

It's 2009.

Learn to deal with apostrophes.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Sep 2009 @ 12:05am

Re: Oh noes
What the hell are you talking about?
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ChadBroChill (profile), 30 Sep 2009 @ 1:21am

Re: Oh noes
Que? Are you crazy or just on the wrong site?
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Sep 2009 @ 3:55am

Re: Oh noes
Let's lose our minds and fall over backwards, frothing at the mouth!

What are you doing, giving a demonstration?
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Sep 2009 @ 3:59am

Texting too...
They should update the law to allow texting and emailing while driving too. Sometimes you need to get directions while driving and not everyone has GPS.
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Killer_Tofu (profile), 30 Sep 2009 @ 6:46am

Re: The Stupid Thing Is...
That is the same problem I have with them passing "no talking on cell phone while driving" laws here in the US (or anywhere really). There are already laws for reckless endangerment and failure to illustrate due care and stuff like that. So why do we need laws banning tiny little things here and there. Some people drive just fine talking on a cell phone. Others do not. For those who do not there are already laws to ticket them.
I guess it is just the politicians trying to justify their existence. If only we had actual public servants instead of politicians we would be a lot better off.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Sep 2009 @ 7:12am

Re: Re: The Stupid Thing Is...
That is the same problem I have with them passing "no talking on cell phone while driving" laws here in the US (or anywhere really). There are already laws for reckless endangerment and failure to illustrate due care and stuff like that. So why do we need laws banning tiny little things here and there. Some people drive just fine talking on a cell phone. Others do not. For those who do not there are already laws to ticket them.

Amen. The same thing applies to those stupid drinking and driving laws too. Some people can drink and drive just fine, others cannot. For those who cannot there are other laws that can be applied.

I guess it is just the politicians trying to justify their existence. If only we had actual public servants instead of politicians we would be a lot better off.

It's the feminization of society and the resultant pandering by politicians to groups like MADD.
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leo, 1 Oct 2009 @ 4:06am

what a stupid legislation system.
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