As if I haven’t shared enough Instagram photo#throughglass pictures already, I decided to use my Google glass while I drive from London (England) to Birmingham (England) and vice versa to get a feel for what it would be like and whether or not its a driving accessory as well as been a wearable teach, after all it has a navigation system in form of a head up display. Just as a quick disclaimer, I do not encourage the use of phones or Glass while driving as you are about to find out why.
Driving with music on, coffee in the cup holder are already distracting enough for me to either take my hands off the steering wheel or take my eyes off the road for a couple of seconds, but that is all it takes for the car in front to slam their brakes and I end up braking late and bam! straight into the back of the car ahead.
Google glass has one two problems here, one is that in the day light it’s extra difficult to see the display clearly, and second is that you have to look up to see the instructions, although it is possible to have a quick glance as it prompts you for the next turning or instruction. The ultimate issue here is that you will end up taking your eyes off the road, meaning it is dangerous to do so, a couple of seconds makes all the difference at 70 to 100+ MPH.
Driving with the glass also meant that there’s the prism/projector/camera area constantly in front of my right eye, which in turn impairs my vision; just imagine someone putting their finger just in front of your eye while you drive at high speeds. With that in mind, it stops you front easily looking at the mirror to check for cars coming or motorbikes. At night time, although the display is a lot better as its dark, its a lot more dangerous especially if you wear prescription glasses normally.
My conclusion is not to wear them while driving, I have no knowledge of its legality in the UK but check before wearing it while driving if you own one. Having said all the above, I can still see how it can be useful for getting quick traffic information as it happens, delivering important traffic information with predictions, showing speed currently travelling at, information about vehicles ahead and behind, I can even see it been used to gather information about a road accident with an integration of collision detector to automatically take pictures or record clips as any accident happens.
Let me know your thoughts below
2 Comments
Tomi,
Sorry to hear about the car accident while using Glass. I must admit from my personal experience with driving with Glass it can be a distraction in the beginning. I’ve worn Glass for more than a year. Once the newness wears off somewhat, and you become accustomed to the device, you learn to not answer every notification. I do use the Glass for navigation daily and haven’t found any issues with, the prism impairing my vision. I highly recommend adjusting the nose pad, so the prism will be positioned above your right eye.
Another tip! A couple of seconds at glancing at something should not be an issue if you’re not driving too closely (minimum 2-3 car spaces). At least those are the driving rules in the States.
Cheers! And enjoy reading and watching your videos on Glass.
the fact u glance at it for directions isn’t an issue IMO but it looks very distracting constantly being in ur line of sight.