All right, we hear all about this all the time, "Why can't I watch my in dash DVD player while I drive?"

All of the manufactures and most of the Shops will not bypass the saftey measures due to threat of lawsiuts like the situation up north when a couple where killed when a car ran through a red light T-Boning them. The owner of the car that hit them was watching a movie and was charged with impairment.

We have more than enough distractions with Cell Phones, Ipods that take your eyes off the road and I for one agree that you should not be able to watch video while you drive.

My question is: Is it ilegal to watch video while operationg a motor vehicle OR this is a gray area of the law such as using a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle without the use of hands free.

 

The MVA is going to be different from province to province. Here in BC it is indeed illegal for the driver to have a video screen in his sight that is used for purposes other than navigation, backup camera, am / fm / cd / cassette functions.

 

why do cops drive watching a lap top

 

They are not supposed to......one day one of them is going to pile into a pole or another car and imagine the lawsuits that will come out of that mess.

 

Some people can multi task and do both, some cannot. Some people can talk on their cell phone (with or without hands free) and yet many others cannot. For some it is a task to walk and chew gum at the same time. I have had in car video for upwards of 4 years and haven't had a single issue. But when you have that situation you have to realize that driving is always #1 priority no matter what. It's like drinking a hot cup of coffee on the drive into work, if you drop it that is a way bigger distraction than a movie playing in the back ground.

I know, I'm probably going to get roasted for my opinion, but that's all it is, an opinion. :-)

 

at our shop we hook up any screen as per manufacture directions, this is our companies policy.

I have only done 1 without becuase it was on a frieghtliner and damned if I was gonig to try and track down the parkbrake and foot brake wires.

 

I hook up the brake wire, I do not care if a customer tells me they will walk if I do not bypass........it is not worth it when they kill someone and in todays law it will be your fault not the jackass driving the car

 

i could be wrong but i heard that it is iligal in 50/51 states and in all provinces to have vidio in front of the driver, but i agree with Claudio, if the customer asks i will not tell them, i often give advice on this forum, but it's not in my shop, while at work my answer to the "how do i get picture while driving is this" GOOGLE!!!., i know most kids will tell you that they won't tell anyone that you bypassed it for them but in the same breath they are telling you that buddy in the local shop down the street will hook you up with picture, so i tell them to go see buddy! It should also be the responsability of the salesman to inform the customer abou the laws of in car vidio. Nothing is worse than a customer freaking out because" no one told me i wouldn't have picture". Just my two cents

 

The only Lap Top in a Cop car that I know of is the one wired to CPIC. It was my understanding that Video can not be veiwed by the Driver while the car is in motion. Hence that is why you can veiw Navagation Info and CPIC info.