Did You Know Car Radios Were Almost Banned In Massachusetts?

The first you do everyday when you get in the car, you turn on the radio to listen to us right? We do our best to keep you entertained whether its music, news, and any other information you need while you get from Point A to Point B. While car radios are the industry standard these days, there was a time period where having them in vehicles was questionable.

Did you know when automakers first introduced radios in early automobiles, many didn't embrace this new way of listening to your local radio station on the go? Many lawmakers and even concerned citizens opted to ban car radios for being too noisy and distracting for drivers. Distracted driving, sounds familiar right?

Brief Car Radio History

According to American Safety Council, the first car radios were introduced by Chevrolet in the early 1920s and were very expensive at that time. Plus they were incredibly bulky, with huge batteries, speakers, and antennas that barely fit into and onto a car.

It wasn't until the 1930s Motorola radios were introduced as being less awkward and innovators quickly began adding button and dial features to make them more accessible for drivers and passengers.

Massachusetts Radio Ban

Massachusetts along with Missouri were among some of the states that proposed a full ban on car radios all together while other states like New York, New Jersey, Ohio, and Illinois proposed steep fines for car radio usage during that time as well.

The reasoning for this ban was people argued that radios caused accidents due to drivers listening to them and were too distracted to pay attention to the road. They also further argued that some types of programming actually caused drivers to sleep behind the wheel.

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Keeping Car Radios

The Radio Manufacturers Association argued that car radios actually helped people become better drivers and even pointed out that radios informed drivers about hazardous road conditions that lie ahead and weather conditions that may disrupt their travel. Which is what radio stations still do today.

While cars radios have evolved over the years, modern driving enthusiasts have made comparisons between car radio use in the 1930s and mobile device use in the 2010s. For example, studies have proven that listening to the radio is an unlikely cause of car accidents, but distracted driving is an undeniably huge cause of them.

The U.S. Department of Transportation reported approximately 421,000 drivers were injured in accidents due to distracted driving in 2012 and 3,328 more were killed by distracted drivers that same year. If you want to avoid distraction while driving, just keep us locked in before you depart and you're good to go!