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Ian Cann
Member - 1 post
The guidelines for the use of mobile phones seem relatively clear however no mentions are made of the use of two way radios, which we have fitted in our vehicles. I note in the October PFM page 30 that the use of two way radios by the police and emergency services will not be covered by the legislation. Is this universal or are we to assume that a two way radio is going to be treated the same as a mobile phone.
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Adrian Waltho
Member - 27 posts
Ian,
Many thanks for your enquiry. The question of the exemption of two-way radios was covered in the Department for Transport's decision letter of their consultation on the ban. It has the following in section 14:
"The consultation document also suggested that 2-way radio microphones should be included within the proposed ban. However, some responses requested exemption for radio systems, pointing out that these have been used over many years without giving rise to road safety concerns. Amateur radio operators, some commercial drivers such as taxi drivers and hauliers, and some of the emergency services use them to communicate with a base station.
We accept that such "press to talk" devices keep conversations short and are likely to have a lower risk. Furthermore permitting their use will not open up a loophole because the vast majority of drivers are unlikely to use them as substitutes for mobile phones. They are far less convenient, generally require a dedicated frequency and permit only one-way conversations while a button is held. While the details of the extent of the exemption remain to be determined, the new offence will exempt the use of such devices. "
I hope this answers your query.
You can download the whole letter from:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_rdsafety/documents/page/dft_rdsafety_508356.pdf
Best regards,
Workplacelaw Network
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