Federal Court ruling allows phone use in car

Federal Court, Lausanne

A ruling by the Supreme Court could have ramifications on the laws on how we use mobile phones while driving.

A woman in canton Solothurn was fined CHF 250 for using her phone while driving. 

But she argued in front of the federal judges she only glanced at her phone for a couple of seconds and it had no impact on her driving ability. 

The court agreed. It determined that a quick glance is no more distracting than looking in the rear-view mirror or the dashboard. 

The court also said it is allowed to drive with only one had on the wheel - mentioning it is legal to eat an apple or smoke a cigarette while driving. 

But the court did stress it remains illegal to make a phone call while driving, unless using a hands free system.

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