Q: Hello Honk: I know that headphones and earbuds are considered illegal while driving, but now that at least some Apple AirPods are approved hearing aids, does that change their legality?
– George Miller, Fountain Valley
A: Yes, George, under the law only one ear can be covered or have a device in it.
“The current (law) is still in place,” said Lt. Matt Gutierrez, based in the California Highway Patrol’s headquarters up in Sacramento. “You can’t cover both ears.”
But the lieutenant added that the decision on whether to cite is up to the officer who saw the headphones or earplugs.
(Honk, back in the 1990s, was shocked when he got pulled over for rocking out with skinny headphones on — how did the officer even see them?)
If the driver is dancing in his seat to a nifty tune, with ears covered, that could get treated differently than, say, a motorist who explains that the AirPods double as hearing aids.
Last year, reports AARP, the Food and Drug Administration did approved of Apple software making it OK for some earbuds to double as over-the-counter hearing aids.
The key is that law enforcement wants drivers to hear sirens — or screeching tires — Gutierrez pointed out.
“Safety is our primary concern,” he said. “Does legislation have to catch up? Quite possibly.”
Q: Hey Honkster: Just got a new Harley. Drove the 241 Toll Road to go to Cook’s Corner in Trabuco Canyon and got a notice from the agency to pay. Aren’t motorcycles exempt? Now I got a transponder sticker from them but don’t want to stick in on my bike. Can my wife just hold it out in her hand when we go under the transponder gantry?
– Brad Dawson, Placentia
A: No, Brad, motorcyclists do not get a break on the 241 or on its siblings: the 73, the 133, and the 261.
You can pay at TheTollRoads.com or via an app five days before or five days after the trip, as long as you have a valid license plate.
Or, you can use a FasTrak transponder to save money.
“Motorcycle transponders are small sticker transponders (free to accountholders) made specifically for motorcycle drivers,” Michelle Kennedy, a spokeswoman for these toll roads, said in an email. “They are designed to be easily mounted to the headlamp lens or cover. … Sticker transponders must be mounted in order to be read.”
She said you can also deploy a FasTrak Flex switchable transponder, which can be mobile.
“Riders with (one) should mount it to the motorcycle’s windscreen or keep it in a secure location, like in a pouch or your clothing pocket – probably not best to hold it if you want to ensure you don’t drop it while cruising,” she said.
HONKIN’ FACT: Earlier this month a parking enforcement officer for Colton, Bill Harring, had a hunch about a tractor and trailer holding seven vehicles.
No one was in the cab. The 82-year-old ran the trailer’s license-plate number. Stolen. So were the semitruck and the vehicles in back.
The owners got back their stuff, valued at $330,000-plus, the P.D. said.
“If we could be half his age with half his energy and commitment to the community, the world would be a better place,” Colton police Chief Anthony Vega told KNBC.
To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk