Radio restrictions.

EvanKeel

I don't know exactly how debatable this topic is. Mostly this just covers something I found annoying. I guess one could argue that it's an issue of government control and freedom of expression at its core.

I can't stand when Radio shows (or commercials etc) use sound effects like honking horns or sirens. I think it should be restricted. Of course you run into problems when we start talking about satelite radio, I'd guess; who's going to enforce it?

For me, it comes down to a safety issue. Why mimic an emergency situation when you don't have to? In my opinion, it's not that dissimilar to yelling fire in a crowded theater--except that it's potentially worse when we're talking about large moving projectiles on the interstate.

vim_n_vigor

I agree. There have been plenty of times that I looked around for an emergency vehicle and it was a commercial using a siren as a prop. It just isn't necessary.

fbmandy55

I agree. There have been plenty of times that I looked around for an emergency vehicle and it was a commercial using a siren as a prop. It just isn't necessary.

Same with songs though. I HATE when songs have sirens in them. Like what is the point of that? For example, ELO' Mission. It's about an alien seeing the destruction of earth, and has a 2second clip of a loud siren that always freaks me out.

treetop57

This is a pet peeve of mine. I loath sirens on radio programs and have written to shows complaining about their use.

But the simple fact is that those sirens are having their intended effect from the producers' point of view. They've made you pay attention to an ad or a song. Breaking out of the background noise is what they were going for and they succeeded.

Not as dangerous (but equally annoying), TV ads use ringing phones for the same reason. We're trained to pay attention to certain sounds so they use those sounds to arouse our attention.

k8blujay2

I agree. There have been plenty of times that I looked around for an emergency vehicle and it was a commercial using a siren as a prop. It just isn't necessary.

I'm glad I'm not the only one.

EvanKeel

This is a pet peeve of mine. I loath sirens on radio programs and have written to shows complaining about their use.

But the simple fact is that those sirens are having their intended effect from the producers' point of view. They've made you pay attention to an ad or a song. Breaking out of the background noise is what they were going for and they succeeded.

Not as dangerous (but equally annoying), TV ads use ringing phones for the same reason. We're trained to pay attention to certain sounds so they use those sounds to arouse our attention.

I guess I wasn't suggesting that their effectiveness was debatable. I meant to suggest their effectiveness in this context makes that use both contemptible and dangerous.

Anything with a brain stem can be trained to respond to a clicker (dog training device). We're sort of hard wired for it.

tsh0ck

maybe I'm in the minority. but the radio doesn't sound, to me, anything like whatever is going on outside of the car.

treetop57

I agree entirely, Evan!

Laces_0ut

if someone is so easily distracted by a siren(real or fake) they probably shouldn't be driving in the first place.

KimmyEB

if someone is so easily distracted by a siren(real or fake) they probably shouldn't be driving in the first place.

I think your definition of "distraction" is taken very much out of context, here. Because in fact, if you are not, in the proper terms of context for this thread, distracted by a siren, YOU should be the one not driving.

Laces_0ut

if someone is so easily distracted by a siren(real or fake) they probably shouldn't be driving in the first place.

I think your definition of "distraction" is taken very much out of context, here. Because in fact, if you are not, in the proper terms of context for this thread, distracted by a siren, YOU should be the one not driving.

someone said its dangerous to have a siren on the radio because it would be a safety issue. if thats the case they shouldnt be driving at all.

and why shouldnt i i be driving? im not the one who cant handle it when i hear a siren on the radio.

KickassAugust

I totally agree.. there is no real reason for them aside from getting your attention and there are other things that can do that!

EvanKeel

if someone is so easily distracted by a siren(real or fake) they probably shouldn't be driving in the first place.

I think your definition of "distraction" is taken very much out of context, here. Because in fact, if you are not, in the proper terms of context for this thread, distracted by a siren, YOU should be the one not driving.

someone said its dangerous to have a siren on the radio because it would be a safety issue. if thats the case they shouldnt be driving at all.

and why shouldnt i i be driving? im not the one who cant handle it when i hear a siren on the radio.

The reason it's a safety issue is that it prompts behavior, and expectations of behavior, that other drivers may not expect or allow for (because they don't hear the siren). Deviations like that raise the risk of accidents. Thus, they are dangerous if people take the fake siren seriously.

What did you think I meant?

Your assertion that someone shouldn't be driving if it's "a distraction" is ridiculous. It would be like saying someone shouldn't be driving because they accidentally rear ended someone who slammed on their breaks for no reason. While the person doing the rear-ending is technically at fault--partially-the person slamming on their breaks also has some negligence.

The implication that you shouldn't be driving if you ignore a siren noise is based on the idea that no one should simply ignore a siren. Obviously we can reject it as a false alarm. I believe Kimmy was saying that your use of the word "distracted" was disingenuous. Sirens are meant to distract people. They can be potentially dangerous if used for other reasons than their intended use. And given that there's no *need* to use them for entertainment purposes, and it would likely be safer to avoid using them outside of their intended use, we should probably not use them for entertainment. Whether or not we consider radio programming and advertisement as entertainment is another issue, and not a very important one.

Laces_0ut

The reason it's a safety issue is that it prompts behavior, and expectations of behavior, that other drivers may not expect or allow for (because they don't hear the siren). Deviations like that raise the risk of accidents. Thus, they are dangerous if people take the fake siren seriously.

What did you think I meant?

Your assertion that someone shouldn't be driving if it's "a distraction" is ridiculous. It would be like saying someone shouldn't be driving because they accidentally rear ended someone who slammed on their breaks for no reason. While the person doing the rear-ending is technically at fault--partially-the person slamming on their breaks also has some negligence.

The implication that you shouldn't be driving if you ignore a siren noise is based on the idea that no one should simply ignore a siren. Obviously we can reject it as a false alarm. I believe Kimmy was saying that your use of the word "distracted" was disingenuous. Sirens are meant to distract people. They can be potentially dangerous if used for other reasons than their intended use. And given that there's no *need* to use them for entertainment purposes, and it would likely be safer to avoid using them outside of their intended use, we should probably not use them for entertainment. Whether or not we consider radio programming and advertisement as entertainment is another issue, and not a very important one.

in no way should a siren on the radio be dangerous, distracting etc...for anyone who knows how to drive. 16 year old fresh of his learner's? sure.

what you are saying is that if someone hears this on the radio they will begin to look around and cause an accident? if thats true then that person should not be driving with the radio on at a minimum and probably shouldnt be driving at all since they are so easily distracted.


so you would ban all use of siren on commercials, songs etc...that are played on the radio? and you would also have to have someone with their finger on the dump button during sporting events that have sirens. lol@ all that.

EvanKeel

The reason it's a safety issue is that it prompts behavior, and expectations of behavior, that other drivers may not expect or allow for (because they don't hear the siren). Deviations like that raise the risk of accidents. Thus, they are dangerous if people take the fake siren seriously.

What did you think I meant?

Your assertion that someone shouldn't be driving if it's "a distraction" is ridiculous. It would be like saying someone shouldn't be driving because they accidentally rear ended someone who slammed on their breaks for no reason. While the person doing the rear-ending is technically at fault--partially-the person slamming on their breaks also has some negligence.

The implication that you shouldn't be driving if you ignore a siren noise is based on the idea that no one should simply ignore a siren. Obviously we can reject it as a false alarm. I believe Kimmy was saying that your use of the word "distracted" was disingenuous. Sirens are meant to distract people. They can be potentially dangerous if used for other reasons than their intended use. And given that there's no *need* to use them for entertainment purposes, and it would likely be safer to avoid using them outside of their intended use, we should probably not use them for entertainment. Whether or not we consider radio programming and advertisement as entertainment is another issue, and not a very important one.

in no way should a siren on the radio be dangerous, distracting etc...for anyone who knows how to drive. 16 year old fresh of his learner's? sure.

what you are saying is that if someone hears this on the radio they will begin to look around and cause an accident? if thats true then that person should not be driving with the radio on at a minimum and probably shouldnt be driving at all since they are so easily distracted.


so you would ban all use of siren on commercials, songs etc...that are played on the radio? and you would also have to have someone with their finger on the dump button during sporting events that have sirens. lol@ all that.

You're allowed to your opinion. You're partially correct in that they probably shouldn't be driving with the radio on. At least, you're correct in that they have a choice about whether or not they listen to the radio while driving. At the same time, everyone is obligated to do their part to avoid accidents. Comparative negligence laws are always fun to debate. The fact that someone playing a commercial on the radio isn't another driver doesn't really matter to me.

It really all depends on if we think the use of emergency signals (sounds in this case) are acceptable to use in contexts that are not emergencies--but could get confused for one.

To answer your question. yes I would ban the use of emergency signals on the radio. In much the same way that I suspect people are also not allowed to paint up their cars to look like police vehicles and blast sirens. In both cases someone is being deceived, one just happens to be harder to spot than the other. The fact that the faux police car is a more realistic illusion than the radio siren is irrelevant to the basic principle.

Laces_0ut

i am amazed that you are comparing a siren on the radio to yelling fire in a movie theater and to disguising your car as a police car and blasting the siren.

EvanKeel

i am amazed that you are comparing a siren on the radio to yelling fire in a movie theater and to disguising your car as a police car and blasting the siren.

neat

KimmyEB

You're allowed to your opinion. You're partially correct in that they probably shouldn't be driving with the radio on. At least, you're correct in that they have a choice about whether or not they listen to the radio while driving. At the same time, everyone is obligated to do their part to avoid accidents. Comparative negligence laws are always fun to debate. The fact that someone playing a commercial on the radio isn't another driver doesn't really matter to me.

It really all depends on if we think the use of emergency signals (sounds in this case) are acceptable to use in contexts that are not emergencies--but could get confused for one.

To answer your question. yes I would ban the use of emergency signals on the radio. In much the same way that I suspect people are also not allowed to paint up their cars to look like police vehicles and blast sirens. In both cases someone is being deceived, one just happens to be harder to spot than the other. The fact that the faux police car is a more realistic illusion than the radio siren is irrelevant to the basic principle.

Agree with all of this.

Laces_0ut

i am amazed that you are comparing a siren on the radio to yelling fire in a movie theater and to disguising your car as a police car and blasting the siren.

neat

figures

tsh0ck

I'm still confused as to how, exactly, this is dangerous. even if you for whatever reason think you're hearing a real emergency vehicle ... so what? you look in your rear view. look in your side mirrors and left and right. by the time you do this, the guy is already on the radio trying to sell you mattresses or whatever. so ... where's the danger here, again?

Laces_0ut

I'm still confused as to how, exactly, this is dangerous. even if you for whatever reason think you're hearing a real emergency vehicle ... so what? you look in your rear view. look in your side mirrors and left and right. by the time you do this, the guy is already on the radio trying to sell you mattresses or whatever. so ... where's the danger here, again?

thats whta im trying to figure out and thats why i said if something as trivial as this makes you drive in a dangerous manner you should not be driving at all.

KimmyEB

I'm still confused as to how, exactly, this is dangerous. even if you for whatever reason think you're hearing a real emergency vehicle ... so what? you look in your rear view. look in your side mirrors and left and right. by the time you do this, the guy is already on the radio trying to sell you mattresses or whatever. so ... where's the danger here, again?

thats whta im trying to figure out and thats why i said if something as trivial as this makes you drive in a dangerous manner you should not be driving at all.

And I'd say you're a damn liar if you sit there and say you've never, ever been distracted by something while driving, whether it be noise or not.

Perhaps they don't distract you two, but they do others, and to different extents.

You're also both seriously dramatizing the word "dangerous." I can't speak for Evan or anyone else, but I seriously doubt they mean that their cars will explode from some crazy Hollywood-esque car crash.

TDGee

Maybe turn the radio down a bit?
:flowerforyou:

BrettPGH

I'm still confused as to how, exactly, this is dangerous. even if you for whatever reason think you're hearing a real emergency vehicle ... so what? you look in your rear view. look in your side mirrors and left and right. by the time you do this, the guy is already on the radio trying to sell you mattresses or whatever. so ... where's the danger here, again?

thats whta im trying to figure out and thats why i said if something as trivial as this makes you drive in a dangerous manner you should not be driving at all.

I'm with these guys (or gals)

You think you hear a siren, you check your mirror, realize it's the radio, keep driving. It's about as distracting as a billboard or pretty trees. If you need to focus so much on the road that checking your mirror for a possible safety vehicle can cause you to wreck your car please, get off the roads.

"I crashed because I THOUGHT I heard a siren..." C'mon. You shouldn't have any problem if you heard an ACTUAL siren, how would mistakenly hearing one be an issue?

SwannySez

I don't listen to the radio. That seems to solve the problem for me.

Cliffslosinit

Just put in a CD...Led Zeppelin maybe?

KimmyEB

Just put in a CD...Led Zeppelin maybe?

Oh god...his voice is enough for me to prefer to hear a siren. :laugh: Unless it's Stairway to Heaven.

Cliffslosinit

Just put in a CD...Led Zeppelin maybe?

Oh god...his voice is enough for me to prefer to hear a siren. :laugh: Unless it's Stairway to Heaven.

Nice!

Laces_0ut

And I'd say you're a damn liar if you sit there and say you've never, ever been distracted by something while driving, whether it be noise or not.

Perhaps they don't distract you two, but they do others, and to different extents.

You're also both seriously dramatizing the word "dangerous." I can't speak for Evan or anyone else, but I seriously doubt they mean that their cars will explode from some crazy Hollywood-esque car crash.

hes comparing it to yelling fire in a crowded theater which actually is dangerous.

and of course everyone gets distracted by something...cars, billboards, trees etc...but it lasts for a milisecond and is in no way dangerous.

EvanKeel

And I'd say you're a damn liar if you sit there and say you've never, ever been distracted by something while driving, whether it be noise or not.

Perhaps they don't distract you two, but they do others, and to different extents.

You're also both seriously dramatizing the word "dangerous." I can't speak for Evan or anyone else, but I seriously doubt they mean that their cars will explode from some crazy Hollywood-esque car crash.

hes comparing it to yelling fire in a crowded theater which actually is dangerous.

and of course everyone gets distracted by something...cars, billboards, trees etc...but it lasts for a milisecond and is in no way dangerous.

Why can't people read. Ever? I did compare it to yelling fire in a theater...because a comparison can be made along with a contrast. I didn't say it was analogous. I mentioned it because goes to the limits we have for free speech. I didn't say it was as dangerous as that, but thanks so much for putting words in my mouth.

I stand by my statement that it's potentially dangerous. It's a needless distraction that has a direct effect on behavior. For example, I might wonder why this clown is slowing down and trying to pull off to the side of the road. Going from any position in a road to another position is what is known as "going from a position of safety to an unsafe position." It increases the chances bad things to happen. Obviously other drivers should be driving carefully enough to avoid accidents, and obviously drivers who might be fooled should be able to pull over without causing a problem. Neither of those facts negate possible negligence on the part of the distraction in the first place from a legal standpoint. Fault in these situations is never a zero sum game.

Whether or not you agree that someone should be able to tell the difference in time is irrelevant. As it happens, I have some mild hearing loss. Depending on how realistic the sound is, I have trouble telling how real it is regardless of how loud it is. Clearly some people think the solution is for me to not listen to the radio, whereas I think the solution is to simply not play fake siren noises that would otherwise serve to alert people to emergencies were they not being used in a deceptive way. At that point it's a matter of opinion.

EDIT: and before it even gets bloody mentioned, yes I did say it was potentially more dangerous than yelling fire in a theater...because it is. It's also potentially much less dangerous.

SwannySez

Why can't people read. Ever? I did compare it to yelling fire in a theater...because a comparison can be made along with a contrast. I didn't say it was analogous. I mentioned it because goes to the limits we have for free speech. I didn't say it was as dangerous as that, but thanks so much for putting words in my mouth.

I stand by my statement that it's potentially dangerous. It's a needless distraction that has a direct effect on behavior. For example, I might wonder why this clown is slowing down and trying to pull off to the side of the road. Going from any position in a road to another position is what is known as "going from a position of safety to an unsafe position." It increases the chances bad things to happen. Obviously other drivers should be driving carefully enough to avoid accidents, and obviously drivers who might be fooled should be able to pull over without causing a problem. Neither of those facts negate possible negligence on the part of the distraction in the first place from a legal standpoint. Fault in these situations is never a zero sum game.

Whether or not you agree that someone should be able to tell the difference in time is irrelevant. As it happens, I have some mild hearing loss. Depending on how realistic the sound is, I have trouble telling how real it is regardless of how loud it is. Clearly some people think the solution is for me to not listen to the radio, whereas I think the solution is to simply not play fake siren noises that would otherwise serve to alert people to emergencies were they not being used in a deceptive way. At that point it's a matter of opinion.

EDIT: and before it even gets bloody mentioned, yes I did say it was potentially more dangerous than yelling fire in a theater...because it is. It's also potentially much less dangerous.

I would also like political discourse removed from the airwaves since it has the potential to lead to bloodshed.

Now cheer up, Evan!