PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A court ruling in Rhode Island might make it illegal for drivers to use their cellphone’s GPS.
The Providence Journal reports that the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal recently ruled that 30-year-old Joseph Furtado violated the state’s texting while driving ban after a state trooper observed him using his cellphone’s GPS while driving on Route 95 in 2015.
Furtado was ticketed for text messaging while operating a vehicle but his lawyer maintains he was using his GPS and not sending, receiving, or looking at text messages.
Furtado has appealed to state District Court and the state criminal defense lawyers’ association criticized the ruling as overbroad.
If upheld, it would make Rhode Island the only state to ban any manipulation of a cell phone by drivers, the National Conference on State Legislatures says.
