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Originally Posted by bopdude
My point exactly, whats the difference between walkie talkies and phones NOTHING, its the them and us bit all over again  |
Not quite. The current law means you're not allowed to use a handheld phone. It allows for handsfree kit use. Now, if you were using your mobile (as I still see so many people doing) you theoretically have to hold it to your ear with either your hand or your shoulder, meaning you don't have complete control over the car. You also have a continuous connection with the other person, which in typical human behaviour means they must try and keep in contact (ie talking/listening) as much as possible to chat with your friend. If you suddenly stop talking or listening they are going to wonder where you are. You can't talk into the phone without it being near your mouth and you can't hear without it being near your ear. You also have to dial the number, or navigate to it through the menu system by looking at the screen.
A police 2-way radio doesn't need the user to hold it always near their face/ear. It has a speaker so you don't need to have it by your ear to listen, leaving your hands free. To talk you press a button and you are immediately connected to the person you want to speak to. To stop, you release the button. There's no navigating through a menu system to find the person, or pressing buttons to redial. You don't have to necessarily have it right next to your mouth to be heard down it either. The person at the other end has a speaker and can hear you clearly. It's also only going to be used for short bursts of conversation to report something, or listen to the speaker for something. They're not having 20 minute chats with their mates instead of concentrating on driving.
Besides which, if you need to, CB is still legal so get your mates to all buy one and you can happily chat/crash to your hearts content!
I'm always very annoyed when I see people still chatting on mobiles even after the law has been passed. The number of people trying to steer one-handed around roundabouts at 2 miles an hour while chatting away into the phone!!
I also notice it mainly seems to be younger drivers chatting on the phone too. I would have thought any young driver would be much better advised to use their limited driving skills/experience to concentrate on the road rather than risk other peoples lives just so that they can arrange their night out 20 minutes sooner than if they left it until they got home. (rant over)