Safe Driving and Radio Usage

According to the NHTSA, 80% of car crashes involve some sort of distracted driving. We don’t want to add to that statistic. ARES/RACES operators must not allow radio usage to distract them from driving safely. If you are tempted to use the radio while driving, keep these things in mind:

• Before you start, let net control know that you will be driving and your responses may be delayed.
• Set your radio to the correct frequency and volumn before you start driving. If you have to move your body out of driving position in order to adjust or use the radio, it’s not safe.
• Avoid changing radio settings. Anything more complex than push-to-talk should be done while stopped in a safe place. Especially don’t do anything while driving that requires you to look at the radio (i.e., away from the road).
• Don’t have substantial or emotional conversations while driving. A routine acknowledgement of a health and welfare check is probably fine, but anything that takes your concentration away from the road is not.
• Use a headset if possible. If you hold anything up to your mouth, you’re at risk of being pulled over for distracted driving (see note below). Also, make sure that that the headset covers only one ear, not both.

When in doubt, pull over in a safe place before using the radio. (The breakdown lane of a highway is not a safe place; exit the highway and find a proper parking spot.)

Distracted Driving Law

California’s distracted driving law prohibits “holding and operating” an “electronic wireless communications device” while driving. Unlike some other states, California’s law contains no explicit exception for two-way radios. Different jurisdictions enforce the law to different degrees and may or may not ticket you for amateur radio usage while driving.

In 2017, after the law was signed, its author issued a press release stating that it was not intended to “limit the use of two-way [radios] by … properly licensed individuals….” However, the text of the law contains no such exception, and the press release carries no legal weight. The CHP did issue a memo in 2017 that clarified that use of a radio installed and mounted in a vehicle with a wired hand microphone is not subject to enforcement under that section of the law. That memo has been removed from their system but has been incorporated into the CHP Traffic Enforcement Policy Manual 100.68. Chapter 5 page 33.

Review the documents, and the presentation below on “Options for use of radio while driving”, and make your own decision.