I think it comes down to the situation.

I mean, if your car breaks down or something and you're just trying to just get in touch with someone along the highway that can call the police for you or give you a ride, than yea, a CB makes more sense.

If it's a wide-scale emergency in your area (say, something like 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina) then you're going to get a lot more communication over GMRS. I mean, it's pretty much the next most common method of group communication after cell-phones.


All in all, if you really want to cover all bases, might as well have both available to you. A set of repeater capable 5-watt FRS/GMRS radios (like the Motorola MR355/6) can be purchased for about $70. A 4-watt hand-held CB radio can be purchased for under $50 if you search around. At that point you're covered either way. With that, plus a good cell phone, you should be able to reach somebody in all but the most remote areas.