Do you listen to music whilst cycling? If so this is for you ...........

[D4VOW]

I don't see any problem listening to music while riding. If you listen at an appropriate volume you can still hear everything that is happening around you It's less of a problem than listening to a car stereo and nobody complains about that.

 

[aka0019]

I admit to having an earphone in whilst cycling. I don't have it on loud and feel I can still hear enough going on around me to be safe. I would say i am more visually aware of what's going on anyway. And if something was to happen due to me using an earphone then it's simply my own fault.

 

[PK99]

what about deaf people? are they not allowed to ride bikes? what about old people with lowered hearing levels? if i understand it correctly, it's the cyclists fault for listening to music? does that mean that if a driver is listening to music hits a cyclist he is automatically guilty?

A cyclist who depends on awareness of his environment for safety but deliberately isolates them selves from that by listening to an ipod is a fool

 

[BentMikey]

Bear in mind mirrors are only tools for looking. They don't replace looking itself. I must admit I like the mirror on my recumbent, but they are not needed as much on upright bikes where it's much easier to look around.

If you're relying on your hearing, then you're failing to look properly. Hearing can be a useful secondary sense, but that's all it will amount to if you're riding with good cyclecraft.

Far too many people on here wrongly assume that listening to music makes you completely deaf to everything else, despite many posts over the years on how it's entirely possible to hear what's going on around us.

A cyclist who depends on awareness of his environment for safety but deliberately isolates them selves from that by listening to an ipod is a fool

...and how foolish are blanket, sweeping, and wrong statements like this?

 

[PK99]

And we already have historic cases of women being partially blamed for being raped due to 'wearing short skirts'

It's not justice when those responsible can abdicate their responsibility onto a victim, is it?

it remains the criminals crime, but i would warn my 21 year old daughter not to go skimpily clad into certain areas not far from here.

 

[Arch]

Far too many people on here wrongly assume that listening to music makes you completely deaf to everything else, despite many posts over the years on how it's entirely possible to hear what's going on around us.

Hear hear, if you'll pardon the pun.... I reckon when I have earphones in (only ever on long solo rides), I'm probably going to hear, say, an emergency siren long before most drivers in their little sealed boxes. I've never felt I had less awareness due to my earphones, because I keep the volume sensible and look round frequently.

In the same way, I can talk to my Mum on the phone with the telly on in the background, because I phase out the noise I don't need to concentrate on...

 

[stoatsngroats]

"It is not known how many of these cases were caused by people listening to music because the DfT and the police do not record the information."

This negates the whole headline, you can replace it with anything - for example.....

"Cyclists Training is Worse than USELESS!"

then add somewhere in the column ""It is not known how many of these cases were caused by people not having training because the DfT and the police do not record the information."

So, there we go then, another embellished headline story by a newspaper - the sole use of such a scheme is to sell to us YESTERDAYS NEWS....!

Thanks for the headsup OP, but I'll carry on listening to my music whilst I ride......

 

[Cab]

More crap journalism from the broadsheet cousin of the Sun.

An unknown number of cyclists face a risk that may or may not me worth measuring, suffering an unknown increase in rate of accidents, but the AA say its terrible so they should damn well stop annoying motorists... What a load of tosh.

Edit: Not just tosh, but ill informed, snivelling, pointless, patheitic, crass drivel. Passages such as this, for example:

There is currently no legislation in place to govern either the use of music players or the wearing of helmets on the road, but cyclists can be prosecuted for dangerous riding — an offence that attracts a maximum penalty of £2,500.

So, despite having no basis for complaining, the author chooses to infer that perhaps a cyclist should be fined for not wearing a helmet or riding listening to music?

Journalist? Gob****e, more like.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

A cyclist who depends on awareness of his environment for safety but deliberately isolates them selves from that by listening to an ipod is a fool

why is a cyclist listening to music is more of a fool than a motorist? when i am going at speed downhill i can not hear any traffic noise. when it is windy i can not hear traffic noise. when it is raining hard i can not hear traffic noise. when i am in town or in the city i can not distinguish the difference between a car / bus who is going to hit or traffic that is simply passing by. in these sitiuations, i.e., when i can not hear traffic, am i also a fool?

 

[ComedyPilot]

A number of posters are spieling out the nanny-state line of Ipod listeners being fools, but no-one will accept my challenge to creep up on me on the bike.

As I have stated before you wouldn't be able to, that's because when I ride, I ride aware of my surroundings.

When I am walking, I walk in a straight (predictable) line, and if I go to change direction I look over said shoulder to make sure my actions don't inconvenience others. When I ski I am quite safe, as I look in the direction I am about to turn so I don't come into conflict with others.

The ONLY reason there are crashes where two (or more) parties paths converge is due to one or more involved parties driving/riding/skiing/walking/flying, and changing direction (into the path of another) without looking.

It's a simple thing called foresight and planning of movement.

It is seen that driving should be a 'right'.

Sadly, a vast majority of people who take up this 'right' are not fit to do said activity, and shouldn't be trusted on the streets with a motor vehicle, not to mention a partially-laden shopping trolley in a supermarche.

 

[Norm]

A number of posters are spieling out the nanny-state line of Ipod listeners being fools, but no-one will accept my challenge to creep up on me on the bike.

Just as many people are still spieling out the irrelevance of "well, you can do it in a car", a vehicle which generally has three mirrors and travels at the same speed as other traffic and...

when i am going at speed downhill i can not hear any traffic noise. when it is windy i can not hear traffic noise. when it is raining hard i can not hear traffic noise. when i am in town or in the city i can not distinguish the difference between a car / bus who is going to hit or traffic that is simply passing by. in these sitiuations, i.e., when i can not hear traffic, am i also a fool?

As you are making the same point that you have already made, I'll use the same response. Wearing headphones is choosing to remove your sense of hearing rather than having it imposed on you because of environmental / medical conditions. You have intentionally and wilfully reduced your ability to hear traffic noise.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Just as many people are still spieling out the irrelevance of "well, you can do it in a car", a vehicle which generally has three mirrors and travels at the same speed as other traffic and...


As you are making the same point that you have already made, I'll use the same response. Wearing headphones is choosing to remove your sense of hearing rather than having it imposed on you because of environmental / medical conditions. You have intentionally and wilfully reduced your ability to hear traffic noise.

oh so as i can't hear the traffic because it is windy / raining / busy traffic, may i ask what difference does it make whether i listen to bach or the dull ring of wind?

 

[ComedyPilot]

Norm's point is the willful removal of the sense of hearing. My point is it's not all black and white. Not all ipod listeners are listening to Megadeth at vol 11 as is widely published (in the @rse paper)

Some may actually be aware of what is going on. But let's not have that little nugget get in the way of a cycle bashing article shall we?

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

and my point is that i can't HEAR traffic most of the time, so there is nothing to wilfully remove

 

[lit]

Just as many people are still spieling out the irrelevance of "well, you can do it in a car", a vehicle which generally has three mirrors and travels at the same speed as other traffic and...

I don't think the people up for a serious debate are saying that at all, that aside listening to music whilst cycling can be safer than not, it's all in the attitude of said cyclist.