Thread: GPS Legalities in NSW

Thanks Brian.

That seems the simplest way to deal with it.

FWIW I have finally managed to track down a definition of "field of view" in a document titled "Vehicle Standard (Australian Design Rule - Definitions and Vehicle Categories) 2005" publication date 28/03/2012.

FIELD OF VIEW – the area within a cone of vision having an included apex angle of 40º and the axis horizontal and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle loaded to the design load on horizontal ground. The apex of the cone shall be a point midway between the eyes of the ‘Driver’s Eye Position’ (ADR 12).

DRIVER’S EYE POSITION – The position for eyes corresponding to the rearmost eye position on the ‘95th Percentile Eye Ellipse’ (ADR 12).

Unfortunately ADR 12 (which is obsolete btw) refers to a range of SAE and ISO standards for determining the position of the eye ellipse. It does mention that the eye position is at the rearmost point of the ellipse, so this would imply with the seat in it's rear most point of travel.

This definition is possibly less restrictive on placement than the one given for bonnet scoops, bull bars, etc in that it defines field of view in terms of the driver looking straight ahead.

cheers
Paul

Originally Posted by Didge

Aren't you and Ian supposed to be on your way to the cape or are you checking in on your way?????? s Radars will work anytime but I guess it could be hard to focus on a car at night and what's a lidar?

Day or night doesn't matter to the instrument, it's the operator that can have troubles with vehicle identification (if there's multiple targets or if sight of the target is lost during the catch up). There are far fewer police rostered at night, mainly due to shift penalties, and also drink driving seems to be more prevalent at night - but they're out there Jerry!

A lidar is a 'speed measuring device'. The acronym stands for Light Detection and Ranging. They were developed from range finders, so they have two functions, 1) to establish a range (typically accurate to within 20cm), and 2) to apply a 'time of flight' or change in time as the beam reflects off a moving target. Speed = Distance / Time. They're accurate to within 2kph and will register a speed almost instantly.

As Boogieman said, rain does affect them because the transmitted and reflected light beam hits the raindrops and gets slowed down, affecting the reading. It'd be bugger all, but enough to effect an operating guideline or policy that could be challenged at court as to the instruments accuracy.

Radars (Radio Detection and Ranging) work on the same principle of reflection and time of flight, only they use electromagnetic radio waves as opposed to light. The effective range of both is affected by visible (moisture) particles (rain, fog and dust etc) because they interfere with the transmitted and reflected medium.

Radars can be used in both moving mode for approaching targets, and stationary mode for approaching and receding targets, however the Lidar can only be used in stationary mode - the operator is 'stationary' - for approaching and receding targets.

Hope this helps...


Matt.

the legislation reads to allow GPS and rear vision devices mounted on approved device, designed for that purpose.
so all that's cool, but if it comes down to the Ipad obscuring your view, then technically, every GPS that attaches via a suction device to your windscreen could potentially obscure your view of something out the front of the car as it covers an area of the windscreen.

Originally Posted by barney

the legislation reads to allow GPS and rear vision devices mounted on approved device, designed for that purpose.
so all that's cool, but if it comes down to the Ipad obscuring your view, then technically, every GPS that attaches via a suction device to your windscreen could potentially obscure your view of something out the front of the car as it covers an area of the windscreen.

Not really. The issue isn't covering an area of the windscreen, it is obscuring the view of the road. I use a 6" GPS unit in a D2. With a windscreen mount close to the bottom of the screen I can see the full width of the front edge of the bonnet over the top of the GPS, so the view of the road is not obscured in any way.

Originally Posted by OffTrack

Not really. The issue isn't covering an area of the windscreen, it is obscuring the view of the road. I use a 6" GPS unit in a D2. With a windscreen mount close to the bottom of the screen I can see the full width of the front edge of the bonnet over the top of the GPS, so the view of the road is not obscured in any way.

didn't say it would, I said it potentially could. this would be based on the half-cocked formula the police have been given to determine if a device restricts your view. it probably has nothing to do with the fact that it only obscures your view of your bonnet.
you know how these things work!

While it's not NSW, VicRoads has a bulletin that describes the Victorian Driver's Field of View Requirements. The requirements are based on Australian Design Rule No.8, so should be roughly applicable to all states.

The bulletin was published in 2000, so unfortunately doesn't directly address phones and GPS but you have to assume the same requirements apply.

VSI29.pdf

This is the FoV diagram from the bulletin.

DFOV_VSI29.png

As can be seen the the requirement is that road surface 11 metres ahead of the drivers eye position is visible without obstruction.

ADR 8 has the following clauses covering primary vision area:

8.3.2.1. The primary vision area shall include the area of the windscreen between a plane tangential to the top of the ‘95th Percentile Eye Ellipses’, inclined 10 degrees above the horizontal measured parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, to a plane tangential to the bottom of the ‘95th Percentile Eye Ellipses’, which includes a horizontal line at ground level transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and 11 m from the rearmost eye position on the ‘95th Percentile Eye Ellipses’, measured horizontally and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and between a vertical plane tangential to the outboard of the ‘95th Percentile Eye Ellipses’ and inclined 15 degrees to the right, to a vertical plane tangential to the inboard of the ‘95th Percentile Eye Ellipses’ and inclined 56 degrees to the left.

8.3.2.1.1. Notwithstanding the requirements of clause 8.3.2.1 it shall be permissible to exclude from the primary vision area, any area of glass within 65 mm of the upper and lower edges of the glass and 90 mm of the side edges of the glass.

The illustration from VSI29 describes the same requirements as section 8.3.2.1 .

cheers
Paul

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

I wonder what our sheriffs and deputies would make of a Passport/Escort GPS navigator that also has a laser/radar detection function which is not obvious to the uninitiated. It can be said to be a WiFi connection locator.

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But can one get the Passport iQ with Australian GPS maps?

Originally Posted by RVR110

Just off topic... the row of top left buttons... is the middle one a out line of the map of Australia? Probably just my eyes.

Easo