An anonymous reader cites a Boston Globe report. William Strauss, like many others, has spent the last few days behind the wheel of his Tesla in autopilot mode, wearing the new Apple Vision Pro headset and typing away on an invisible keyboard. Saw the video. “They're all over the internet, idiots driving Teslas with their hands up,” the state representative said. Some claimed their videos were staged. Doesn't matter: Strauss wants to make it illegal. The Legislature's Transportation Committee approved language Wednesday that would ban the use of new virtual reality headsets or other similar technology while behind the wheel in Massachusetts.
Strauss, the House chairman of the committee, worked with staff Monday night into Tuesday morning to develop language that would, among other things, prohibit drivers from recording or broadcasting themselves while behind the wheel. He said he added it to an existing proposal to ban it. Resigning from the committee within 48 hours is light speed by Beacon Hill standards. (The bill still needs to pass the full House and Senate.) […]
“This is absolutely the right time to build a wall,” said Strauss, a Mattapoisett Democrat. “People who drive cars already have too many distractions.” Strauss' proposal is for drivers to wear or hold spatial computers, augmented reality or mixed reality devices, or “other methods. “Using or manipulating the device'' is clearly not permitted. It also allows drivers to view videos, images, and text unrelated to vehicle operation or navigation, whether displayed on a screen or “worn in a headset or elsewhere on the operator's body.” It is also prohibited. Motorists will now face the same fines if they use a mobile phone to send text messages while driving. The penalty is $100 for the first violation, $250 for the second violation, and $500 for each subsequent violation. The driver in the viral video posted on YouTube and linked above said it was a “skit” he made with his friends and that he was not arrested. ”[I] “I was in the right place at the right time. That's why I filmed the police,” he told Gizmodo.