Laws that would have changed the road rules in Victoria to ban smartphones from acting as GPS devices in cars have been changed, just weeks before they were meant to come into effect.
The State Government would have allowed single-function GPS devices to be used in cars, but smartphones, such as the popular iPhone, would have been banned from GPS use.
The move has been welcomed by tech fans, especially as the popular iPhone is now being supported with GPS apps produced by large companies such as TomTom.
“The new mobile phone rules have been revised. The change now allows both the navigational (GPS) and audio/music functions of a mobile phone to be used, provided the mobile phone is secured in a commercially designed holder fixed to the vehicle,” a statement on the VicRoads website states.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
