Off_Camber..... since you asked....part of the regulations is for you....

12. (1) Until January 1, 2013, drivers of commercial motor vehicles, within the meaning of subsection 16 (1) of the Act, may drive a commercial motor vehicle on a highway while holding or using a two-way radio

After that date the excemption is revoked/removed!

Bah, I guess that makes it pretty clear that a non-commercial driver can't hold a two-way radio. Time to scrap my proposal for PTT phones for our civilian patrols.

Bookm wrote:

ElectricMayhem wrote:

...they should have banned cellular phone use altogether.

I agree with that statement. But the problem is technology has created small businesses that can easily operate out of a simple pickup truck. Many self employed individuals don't even have an office or a shop. Their tools are in the truck and the cell phone is the critical link to the client.

I'm not saying it's a good thing. I'm just saying that's the way it is. If you think a guy is going to ignore his ringing phone (= money), you're just kidding yourself.

The bluetooth earpiece works great if you have it all setup and tested for volume and such. But most guys will just stick their phone up the side of their ball cap (I suspect).

Welll put, Bookm (and ElectricMayhem). I cited in an earlier thread some of the studies that show hands-free is more distracting than hand-held, but the framers of this law, who must have known about the science, chose to take a very, very limited approach. Never mind the facts, just fine the drivers using hand-helds. As Bookm points out, and as the exemption for commercial drivers shows, it's probably too late to do very much about the problem anyway. Enforcing the new law gives Queen's Park the appearance of doing something; raises a bit of revenue; and may even, on the periphery, have some limited deterrence value.

Friend of mine is a 911 operator. She said today that they're getting swamped with 911 calls of people telling on other drivers on their cell phones.

puzzled wrote:

Friend of mine is a 911 operator. She said today that they're getting swamped with 911 calls of people telling on other drivers on their cell phones.

It's an informer's delight.

Friend of mine is a 911 operator. She said today that they're getting swamped with 911 calls of people telling on other drivers on their cell phones.

How utterly ridiculous.