Hi all, I read on a news site that someone had been fined for using an Iphone as a GPS. Looking into the law of the matter it seems that having a non-mounted device that requires touching to operate is illegal. Illegal to use iPhone as a navigation system on the car!! I got fined!! | Digihub Forum | digihub.brisbanetimes.com.au

Specifically it is illegal to:
use, in relation to a mobile phone, includes any of the
following actions by a driver:
(a) holding the body of the phone in her or his hand
(whether or not engaged in a phone call), except while
in the process of giving the body of the phone to a
passenger in the vehicle;
(b) entering or placing, other than by the use of voice,
anything into the phone, or sending or looking at
anything that is in the phone;
(c) turning the phone on or off;
(d) operating any other function of the phone.

In addition any screen visible to the driver must be:
For the purposes of subrule (2)(b)(ii), a visual display unit
is secured in a mounting affixed to the vehicle if, and only
if –
(a) the mounting is commercially designed and
manufactured for that purpose; and
(b) the unit is secured in the mounting, and the mounting is
affixed to the vehicle, in the manner intended by the
manufacturer.

These are rules 300 & 299 in the Australian Road rules.
http://www.ntc.gov.au/filemedia/Repo...2009_final.pdf

This makes my use of a bluetooth hands free without voicedialing illegal and also my use of a PDA for satnav illegal. The hands free is a low risk as I generally don't make calls while driving and I can answer an incomming on the bluetooth.

However, I leave the PDA sitting on the shelf on the dash on the D3. I touch it at lights to enter addresses, I zoom in & out, etc. I pick it up to check if the voice directions are not clear. I'm going to have to buy a mount for it.

I use a PDA as it runs oziexplorer for topo maps. A tomtom won't do that and the Hema device didn't exist when I bought it.

In the event of an accident the unmounted GPS will be obvious and may sway any investigation/liability claim against me.

You are all grown ups and can make your own decisions, but read up on the facts first.

Cheers, Steve