🔍 Key Concepts

• Distress traffic always has absolute priority over all other communications • Difference between routine, safety, and distress/urgency traffic in maritime radio • How interference is treated when it helps protect life or safety at sea

💭 Think About

• First, ask yourself in what type of situation regulations allow normal radio procedures to be overridden. Which category of traffic is that? • Consider whether interference is ever allowed for routine or priority government traffic, or only in the most serious type of emergency. • Think about which answer choices describe situations where human life is clearly at risk, versus situations that are important but not immediately life‑threatening.

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which option clearly describes the highest level of radio priority recognized internationally. • Eliminate any options that deal only with routine or administrative communications, even if they sound important. • Check which situations permit a station to break into or override ongoing communications under the ITU/IMO distress and safety procedures.