Wow. Pretty soon some A-hole trucking company is going to try to ban conversation between two guys holding a conversation while team driving.
Beware of distracted driving laws. Up here they are trying to set it up so that basically it'll all rely on "officers discretion", if he thinks what you were doing was distracting you then that's it that's all. You get a ticket. We're not at that point yet but they are working their way towards their goal, and so far the sheeple have been letting them chug along slowly.
Let me throw this one out there. In this state of Delaware, a law was passed not to use CB radio and cell phones when driving unless it is hands free or unless you carry a ham radio license which falls under emergency communications. There are drivers that have two meter radios. Actually, ham radio two meter radios come in handy for greater range truck to truck or super range using a repeater to talk to the same truck that you pull away from with the hammer down. I use an(Astatic) 575-M6 mic on both radios. I am sure the bears would rather be playing on their laptops with all their high tech police software than to worry about which radio you are transmitting on. If they pull you over with a mic in your hand, you were on the legal radio in this state and give them a copy of your license.
The laws are about revenue and not safety. There has been a law about careless driving on the books forever.
Interesting indeed! My point is that DE still requires 2 way radio communication when pulling an oversize load with escorts... go figger!
The State of Delaware is doing nothing to supersede FCC regulation of CB radios. They aren't saying you can't use the CB at all, which would be a violation, but merely that as part of the privilege of possessing a recognized drivers license from any of the several states, you can't use it while driving. That is more than a small distinction. Please close the Back Row Law Book. And if you had read the article linked by someone above, you'd see that there is no reference to any threat by any group which resulted in the exemption of amateur radio, but rather they convinced the idiots in the statehouse that hams served as a useful emergency comm network. I don't agree with this law in any shape or form, but the argument that because the feds regulate radios, states can't restrict mobile use is laughable. As is the attempted distinction about cell phones. That phone is a two-way radio whose operation is governed by FCC rules. Who holds the licenses has no bearing on whether or not the device is FCC regulated, and doesn't matter when it comes to restricting mobile use. Like I said, I don't support these kinds of laws, and they need to fought at every turn. But going about your way will serve only to leave you looking like your own lawyer, and I think we all know that saying about being your own client. The fact that stricter standards for obtaining DL's would likely be the most effective means of affecting traffic safety, yet that method is left untouched because it is not politically expedient, is the message that needs to be driven home. Instead of placing all these feel good bandaids on drivers that really do very little on improving safety, but let the politicians go home crowing about how they are "saving your children!" But the populace has to care enough to notice, and reason instead of emoting; and good luck on that.
