A controversial bill that would require all new cars to be fitted with AM radios looks set to become a law in the near future. Yesterday, Senator Edward Markey (D-Mass) revealed that the “AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act” now has the support of 60 US Senators, as well as 246 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, making its passage an almost sure thing. Should that happen, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would be required to ensure that all new cars sold in the US had AM radios at no extra cost.
I guess I still just don’t buy it. I am not buying a car for emergency preparedness purposes and don’t ever use the AM radio anyway. Sure yeah maybe AM is the way in a disaster, but why is the onus on cars? It’s like arguing that you can’t eliminate a cigarette lighter because then you couldn’t heat canned food or you have to have bench seats so there is a place to sleep in a disaster. Required AM for cell phones makes more sense than requiring it for cars.
Cell phones can’t do AM/FM radio signals very well. Antenna is too small. Back when cell phones had radios built in, the headphones cable doubled as an antenna.
Plus, people who need travel or power when all power is out, go to their cars.
So no. Cell phones aren’t capable. Also, cigarette lighters were totally incapable of heating food. A half inch coil of heat that stays hot for all of under two minutes isn’t going to heat your can of beans.
You sound like one of those fools who’d build a house below the tsunami warning signs because their hasn’t been one for over 30 years.
One tool one job dude. You want to mandate people have an AM radio, then make that the rule. Or a generator, or a stove or whatever. A car doesn’t need an AM radio. It is standard because it was historically common, it is not needed by most people except as a tool to serve them shitty right wing and religious talk radio.
Get off you short and weird fucking soapbox. And if I sound like a tsunami builder you sound like a doomsday prepper: get your guns, 6 months of food, and iodine tabs for your family to the vault straight away instead of commenting here.