Last week a ticket was issued to a woman in Raleigh for driving while ‘under the influence’ of Google Glass. It was the first of its kind issued in North Carolina — and some people are irritated by it. Me, not so much. 

I don’t think that the release of a shiny new toy should jeopardize our safety as a culture. If texting and driving is illegal, why would “glassing” and driving be legal? Sure, it does have a GPS feature, but we can easily find our way with the one on our dashboards — there is no need for an added gadget to obstruct our vision. 

If artificial interfaces are being projected in our line of sight, I can’t imagine that much focused driving could be accomplished. We would have to completely alter the way in which we operate a vehicle, because if not, lives could be in danger. 

Because of this, I do believe that Google Glass should be illegal while operating a motor vehicle. There are too many distractions as is for drivers and too many accidents that happen, so why add to the disadvantages drivers face? 

I just don’t understand why Google Glass is a want among the American people. We already have technology seemingly attached to our hands; why would we want to kick it up a notch and have it attached to our faces? Google Glass is creating an obscured version of the world for users — one that has everything you would ever want to know a click away. There is no sense of effort anymore with Google Glass on the market — it makes obtaining information less than simple, causing our minds to be less than educated. 

With Google Glass being so new, it brings up the question of legislation. Should there be a definite law against driving and ‘glassing’? I feel this law should be decided on quickly because to be fair, the woman who received the ticket probably thought she wasn’t doing anything wrong. This will more than likely be a common theme among users in the future. Legislation should be clear no matter what the verdict, but I believe the verdict should pertain the word ‘illegal’. 

According to Jim Sughrue, a Raleigh police department spokesman, the Google Glass offense will more than likely fall into the same category as texting and driving. This law may be difficult to pass because authorities may not be able to easily recognize if the driver is simply wearing the glasses or illegally using the glasses. When a driver is texting, it is obvious that they are holding a phone and therefore distracted.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration there were 25,580 fatal car accidents in 2012. Of those accidents, 16 percent were caused by a distraction — others being drunk driving, speeding and bad weather. If Google Glass usage is permitted while driving, that 16 percent will more than likely sky rocket to a much higher percentage, causing even more deaths.