Distracted driving laws differ a bit from province to province, but the main point is the same -- to get motorists to stop talking and texting on their cell phones while behind the wheel.

While most truckers seem agreeable to putting down the cell phone, a twist in Ontario's law wasn't taken so lightly, and perhaps rightly so.

The province plans to phase out the use of the traditional CB radio. Of all the provinces to put laws in place (only Alberta and New Brunswick haven't jumped on the 'ban-wagon' yet) Ontario was the only one that didn't give CB radios an exemption.

For the time being, your CB radios are safe to use inside Ontario's borders, but that could change over time.

During the next three years, the province plans to phase out the use of the traditional CB radio if a suitable hands-free alternative is available.

A lot could change in three years; the government could recognize the importance of CB radios and leave them in truck cabs as is, or there could be no suitable alternative and the government could decide to ban them anyway.

There are probably a number of other scenarios somewhere in between, but it's not always easy to predict what will come out of the legislative halls.

I'm not against the laws to combat distracted driving. It's always a little nerve-wracking being in the lane next to the guy who's more focused on the e-mail he's reading or sending rather than on the traffic around him.

It definitely isn't safe, but I have a hard time drawing any similarities between those instances and you folks on the road with a CB mic in one hand.

As a handful of readers who were unimpressed with Ontario's plan pointed out, the CB radio is a necessary tool for truckers to do their jobs safely, so putting down the CB isn't an option.

Using the airwaves to warn fellow drivers about accidents, road and weather conditions, cars or construction crews on the side of the road, have probably saved more people from getting in accidents than talking over the CB would ever cause.

Not to mention, drivers with oversized loads often rely on the CB to stay in contact with their pilot cars ý another important safety feature.

And if you've ever headed off-road for a log haul where the roads are barely big enough for two trucks, calling out your location over the CB is necessary in avoiding a head-on collision or from steering into the ditch to avoid one.

If you're on the CB discussing possible safety hazards, there's a good chance you're going to be paying pretty close attention to the traffic ahead.

Until the government recognizes the safety benefits of the CB radio, this issue could end up being a problem down the road.
Steve Macleod