Ooofa! It's not a good development, that's for sure.
Twice this week (and it's only Wednesday) I've heard muffled things yelled at me from car windows. I can usually go a year or more without anything of this sort, so something must be up. I think it ticks them off to see someone out riding in the cold, though why that would be... the mind fairly boggles.
It's not a new development--it's retro, usually an option that comes with a Citizen's Band (CB) radio.