I didn't know that, did you ?
I thought that the Californian law about no objects on windshield was idiotic, but this one certainly bettered that.
According to Montreal Gazette today, it's illegal to have a navigation system using screens in Quebec.
Here is a partial copy/paste:
Quebec makes U-turn on global positioning systems
MIKE KING
THE GAZETTE
It’s another quirk that makes us distinct in North America – though that’s expected to change by year’s end or early 2008.
Quebec is the only jurisdiction on the continent where satellite or other navigation systems using screens are illegal for drivers of non-emergency vehicles.
That will come as a surprise to most, because the devices – better known as global positioning systems (GPS) – are a standard feature on a growing number of luxury vehicles.
They’re also offered by carrental agencies and sold through hundreds of retailers across the province.
But under Article 439 of Quebec’s highway safety code, it is prohibited to have a television or other screen displaying information that a motorist can directly or indirectly see while driving.
“According to the law, even OnStar is illegal,” said Constable Marc Butz, a spokesperson for the S?ret? du Qu?bec.
OnStar is a subsidiary of General Motors that has become a world leader in in-vehicle navigation systems.
Butz said the provincial police force has handed out 28 tickets to motorists since 2003 for having such systems with screens.
Montreal police issued 190 tickets under Article 439 during that period, but those figures don’t show how many were for navigational systems with screens as opposed to, say, television monitors. The fine is $30 and totals $52 after fees.
“The law is idiotic,” said Marcel Bouchard, Quebec’s only authorized representative for Kansas-based Garmin International Inc., which designs, makes and markets GPS equipment for the consumer market.
“A ticket for that is crazy – I’ve never heard of anyone getting ticketed for that,” Bouchard said.
Even when he was recently stopped by the SQ for running a red light, Bouchard said, the officer praised his global positioning system rather than give him a ticket for it.
“I’m surprised it’s illegal, but it’s certainly tolerated,” Bouchard added.
OnStar has more than 37,000 subscribers in Quebec alone, said Jocelyn Allen, OnStar’s vice-president of public affairs and corporate communications, though not all have screens.
The Hertz Corp. introduced the NeverLost on-board navigation system in its rental cars in 1995.
Katura Hudson, public affairs specialist at Hertz headquarters in New Jersey, said NeverLost has been available in Montreal since July 2000. It costs an additional $14 a day in mid-size, fullsize and luxury vehicles.
It’s also possible to get a GPSequipped vehicle from Avis Rent A Car System Inc. in Quebec for an extra charge of $11 a day.
Bouchard said about 400 stores across Quebec – including chains from Canadian Tire and Wal-Mart to Dumoulin and Bureau en Gros – sell what is known as after-market global positioning systems that buyers install themselves.
The highway code is expected to be modified by year’s end, however, thanks to a long fight by Quebec’s cabbies to make GPS legal for taxis.
Global positioning systems were long considered a danger to driver safety, said spokespersons for Transport Quebec and its auto insurance board, the Soci?t? de l’assurance automobile du Qu?bec.
But a recent European study suggested the opposite.
As a result of the taxi lobby, Transport Minister Julie Boulet is expected – if she hasn’t already, as reported by some industry insiders – to sign a decree that will set in motion the process to have Article 439 changed to allow global positioning systems with screens.
Boulet’s aide, Daniel Desharnais, would neither confirm nor deny the decree has been signed, but said the matter “is following its course.”
...
I thought that the Californian law about no objects on windshield was idiotic, but this one certainly bettered that.
According to Montreal Gazette today, it's illegal to have a navigation system using screens in Quebec.
Here is a partial copy/paste:
Quebec makes U-turn on global positioning systems
MIKE KING
THE GAZETTE
It’s another quirk that makes us distinct in North America – though that’s expected to change by year’s end or early 2008.
Quebec is the only jurisdiction on the continent where satellite or other navigation systems using screens are illegal for drivers of non-emergency vehicles.
That will come as a surprise to most, because the devices – better known as global positioning systems (GPS) – are a standard feature on a growing number of luxury vehicles.
They’re also offered by carrental agencies and sold through hundreds of retailers across the province.
But under Article 439 of Quebec’s highway safety code, it is prohibited to have a television or other screen displaying information that a motorist can directly or indirectly see while driving.
“According to the law, even OnStar is illegal,” said Constable Marc Butz, a spokesperson for the S?ret? du Qu?bec.
OnStar is a subsidiary of General Motors that has become a world leader in in-vehicle navigation systems.
Butz said the provincial police force has handed out 28 tickets to motorists since 2003 for having such systems with screens.
Montreal police issued 190 tickets under Article 439 during that period, but those figures don’t show how many were for navigational systems with screens as opposed to, say, television monitors. The fine is $30 and totals $52 after fees.
“The law is idiotic,” said Marcel Bouchard, Quebec’s only authorized representative for Kansas-based Garmin International Inc., which designs, makes and markets GPS equipment for the consumer market.
“A ticket for that is crazy – I’ve never heard of anyone getting ticketed for that,” Bouchard said.
Even when he was recently stopped by the SQ for running a red light, Bouchard said, the officer praised his global positioning system rather than give him a ticket for it.
“I’m surprised it’s illegal, but it’s certainly tolerated,” Bouchard added.
OnStar has more than 37,000 subscribers in Quebec alone, said Jocelyn Allen, OnStar’s vice-president of public affairs and corporate communications, though not all have screens.
The Hertz Corp. introduced the NeverLost on-board navigation system in its rental cars in 1995.
Katura Hudson, public affairs specialist at Hertz headquarters in New Jersey, said NeverLost has been available in Montreal since July 2000. It costs an additional $14 a day in mid-size, fullsize and luxury vehicles.
It’s also possible to get a GPSequipped vehicle from Avis Rent A Car System Inc. in Quebec for an extra charge of $11 a day.
Bouchard said about 400 stores across Quebec – including chains from Canadian Tire and Wal-Mart to Dumoulin and Bureau en Gros – sell what is known as after-market global positioning systems that buyers install themselves.
The highway code is expected to be modified by year’s end, however, thanks to a long fight by Quebec’s cabbies to make GPS legal for taxis.
Global positioning systems were long considered a danger to driver safety, said spokespersons for Transport Quebec and its auto insurance board, the Soci?t? de l’assurance automobile du Qu?bec.
But a recent European study suggested the opposite.
As a result of the taxi lobby, Transport Minister Julie Boulet is expected – if she hasn’t already, as reported by some industry insiders – to sign a decree that will set in motion the process to have Article 439 changed to allow global positioning systems with screens.
Boulet’s aide, Daniel Desharnais, would neither confirm nor deny the decree has been signed, but said the matter “is following its course.”
...
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