2
Safety and Legal Considerations
These are some important KX3 mobile safety and legal considerations:
‐ Road visibility
‐ Access to vehicle controls
‐ Minimizing driver distraction
‐ Intact vehicle safety features
‐ Security of mounted objects
‐ Electrical power
‐ Distracted driver laws
Maximizing road visibility seems like an obvious objective, doesn’t it? But many Amateurs sacrifice
visibility in favor of keeping their radio equipment in view and accessible. Others mount their rigs in
locations that take attention away from what’s going on in front of and around their vehicle while
driving. However you choose to mount your KX3, it should not interrupt your forward visibility or cause
you to take your eyes off the road. This Guide has some mounting suggestions in a later section.
Another goal probably also seems obvious: To be able to drive and control your vehicle normally. Direct
visibility of all mirrors and backup camera displays is essential. Access to all vehicle controls used for
driving should not be impeded or blocked in any way. For example, it’s less critical to block airflow from
an A/C vent rather than make it difficult or clumsy to signal a turn or apply the brakes. Your choice of
the KX3’s mounting location and orientation is crucial here.
A major preventable cause of distracted drivers is personal electronics. Smart phones, tablet
computers, DVD players, TV receivers, etc. ‐ all are on the road now. Most of us have at least some of
these on hand while we drive. Adding the KX3 in this type of situation could complicate it. If you’re
busy with the KX3 when driving, keep in mind that its controls are relatively complex compared to a car
radio or CD player. Standard vehicle electronics aren’t very complex to operate, but not so with some
Amateur transceivers. As an example, compare the controls of a mobile VHF FM transceiver to those of
a KX3. Of the two, the KX3 will demand much more of your attention to operate.
Your Number One Job when driving is Driving
. If a passenger is distracting the driver, the driver should
pull over. If a non‐essential device in the vehicle is doing the same thing, turn it off. A distracted driver
has symptoms similar to one with impaired judgment: Lack of use of sensory inputs, and delayed
reactions to those that are perceived. Don’t let Amateur Radio turn you into a statistic, or into another
ham with a sad story to tell others. Let the drive‐while‐texting folks become the statistics.
In aviation, we have a saying: “Aviate, Navigate, Communicate.” First is highest priority. Last is lowest.
You could retask that saying for your priorities when piloting a ground vehicle. Keep your priorities
straight.
Seat belts and airbags are important vehicle safety features; they save lives. Don’t mount your KX3 in a
location that interferes with seat belts or proper airbag “deployment”. The quotes are there for a
reason. If you’ve never had an airbag deploy in front of you, you wouldn’t believe how quickly the KX3
may become a projectile if it’s in the way. Airbags move fast, and with explosive force. Anything
blocking an airbag’s path should be moved out of the way. If there’s any
doubt about your vehicle’s
