mobile devices, hands free, and wearables...

The case came down to Ontario's anti-distracted-driving law, which bans driving "while holding or using a handheld wireless communication device." Although Ambrose tried to argue the Apple Watch shouldn't be considered a handheld device, Phillipps said the watch was "no less a source of distraction than a cellphone taped to someone's wrist" and that it was "abundantly clear," based on the cop's testimony, that Ambrose was distracted.



She says she was just checking her Apple Watch; judge rules she broke the law

 

A "legal" CB radio is a close-range device, so the person you are communicating with is in the same traffic/weather conditions, or if heading the opposite direction, can inform you of what is ahead. There is a safety factor involved when vehicles traveling together can communicate.

A cell phone, you could be talking to anyone anywhere else in the world. They may not have any clue that you're driving, and are even more clueless as to what traffic/weather conditions you're facing. They can offer nothing beneficial in regards to what lies ahead that you're about to come upon.

Not even close to the same.