Residents of Quebec have been banned from using their mobile devices while driving since April 2008. If caught, the fine for texting, emailing, talking or even simply looking at a phone ranges from $115 to $154 and four demerit points. With wearables like the making their way onto the market, those laws are about to be tested.
According to a report from CTV, Jeffrey Macesin, a Quebec resident, was pulled over by Pincourt police for “using his mobile device” while the car was in motion. The device in question was an Apple Watch. Mecesin was handed a $120 ticket and four demerit points for using his Apple Watch to change songs while driving.
“I have it in the bag charging while the auxiliary cable is plugged into the radio and this controls my phone to play the music. So I was changing songs with my hand on the steering wheel,” said Macesin. “Going towards Vaudreuil, there was a cop car behind me and he didn’t have his lights on yet, but then he turned them on and I thought maybe he just wanted me to get out of the way. I was just confused.”
Macesin was pulled over and fined under Section 439.1 of the Quebec Highway Safety Code, which reads: “No person may, while driving a road vehicle, use a hand-held device that includes a telephone function.”
Macesin contends that he wasn’t using a mobile device. “The watch is not a new thing. It’s been around forever,” said Macesin. “But a device that is telling me time and getting me in trouble is kinda freaky.” Macesin is planning to challenge the ticket and informed that officer “that I will see you in court and I’m going to lawyer up.” Watch the video below and decide for yourself whether Macesin was rightly fined.
[source]CTV[/source]
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