On line in a car - legal?

sleepymans

Is it legal for a front seat passenger of a moving car to be using netbook and dongle to access the internet? watch iplayer? access online travel news?


What about rear seat passenger?


Aren't sat-navs "online"?

Nilrem

Satnav's aren't online (they're one way only - they receive a signal but don't respond).

IIRC you can watch TV in a car if you're in the back seats and possibly in the front passenger seat, but I think the display has to be out of line of sight of the driver (IE you can't see it from the drivers seat), or bet set up to turn off when the ignition is on if it's in LOS of the driver.

Strider590

I quite often use the satnav on my phone...... Unless I preload the maps (which now requires a bit of hackery) it downloads the data in realtime from Google.

Roland_Sausage

I've had the odd occasion when I've been driving a work vehicle and my colleague sitting in the passenger seat has been accessing stuff on his laptop.

Mind you, he was accessing a boring work related database rather then Youtube, so I wasn't even tempted to try and sneak a peak.

wongataa

sleepymans wrote: »

Is it legal for a front seat passenger of a moving car to be using netbook and dongle to access the internet? watch iplayer? access online travel news?


What about rear seat passenger?


Aren't sat-navs "online"?

It is legal for passengers to do this. They aren't driving the car. Sat navs are only online if they use a data connection to get the maps. Ones with downloaded/built in maps don't need to connect to anything.

tykesi

sleepymans wrote: »

Is it legal for a front seat passenger of a moving car to be using netbook and dongle to access the internet? watch iplayer? access online travel news?


What about rear seat passenger?


Aren't sat-navs "online"?

I'm intrigued as to why this is even a question. Why wouldn't it be legal?

Car_Complaints

wongataa wrote: »

.Ones with downloaded/built in maps don't need to connect to anything.

How does it know where you are then????

neilmcl

Car_Complaints wrote: »

How does it know where you are then????

I know it's a Monday morning but really???

Car_Complaints

Really what?? I was just correcting someone who said sat nav doesnt need to connect to anything.

teabelly

Yes, it is legal, unless that person is a driving instructor.

Aretnap

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/regulation/109/made

109. (1) No person shall drive, or cause or permit to be driven, a motor vehicle on a road, if the driver is in such a position as to be able to see, whether directly or by reflection, a television receiving apparatus or other cinematographic apparatus used to display anything other than information—

(a) about the state of the vehicle or its equipment;
(b) about the location of the vehicle and the road on which it is located;
(c) to assist the driver to see the road adjacent to the vehicle; or
(d) to assist the driver to reach his destination.

The slighty old fashioned language dates from before the internet was invented, but anything which showed a moving picture would likely come under cinematographic apparatus, therefore would only be legal if the driver was not in a position to see it. So if the front seat passenger was watching iPlayer on his phone, he'd have to be careful about how he held it.

SatNavs have an exemption ("information to assist the driver to reach his destination").