Does listening to music pose a safety risk?

[numbnuts]

people with a sensory loss develop other skills to compensate.

well it ain't happened to me as yet, so I bought a mirror

 

[Glow worm]

Listening to music while riding is never a problem as long as your'e sensible and don't have it on full blast. I'm a pretty slow rider and use a lot of dedicated cycle paths hereabouts and have never yet, in 20 or so years, not heard a bike approach from behind while listening to music after the rider has called out or rung the bell. I certainly hear all cars- it's just a case of settling on a sensible, lowish volume.

 

[Drago]

I've got very bad tinnitus at the moment as my ears recover from illness.

I'm sure ill be fine.

The people that ride like tools with headphones on seem to ride equally badly without them.

 

[ricky1980]

can't believe people actually think listening to music while cycling DOESN'T pose potential risks. How can that be when anything you do you need your five senses. You nullify one you obviously increasing the risk. Yes you won't get into an accident immediately but you certain will increase the chances of that happening by not able to hear road traffic around you. I use my hearing all the time to gauge how far back a car is or if there are any traffic around me. these noises usually prompt me to look around my shoulders ever so often just to get an idea what's going on around me. this kind of noise is small comparing to the wind noise, so if I was to listen to music over the wind noise, then I got no chance of hearing road traffic noises. So i will be cycling along and blissfully and completely ignorant to my surrounding...

I have to say i haven't seen any Muppet do it on my routes, hope they get into some kind of scrapes (not massive one, just a bit of rash here and there) to teach them a lesson if they can't come to their senses.

 

[MontyVeda]

each to their own... I have done but choose not to because I feel much more edgy, and it's exactly the same as a pedestrian using my ipod.

If it's ok to drive a car and have the radio on, surely its ok to cycle with music/radio, so long as you keep your wits about you.

 

[Dan B]

can't believe people actually think listening to music while cycling DOESN'T pose potential risks. How can that be when anything you do you need your five senses.

Don't think I've ever gained a significant safety advantage from using my sense of smell on a bike. Nor taste, thinking about it. I once had to slap the side of a car, though, I guess that qualifies as 'touch'

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I have to say i haven't seen any Muppet do it on my routes, hope they get into some kind of scrapes (not massive one, just a bit of rash here and there) to teach them a lesson if they can't come to their senses.

You Sir are a moron, wishing harm on others!

Alan...

 

[ufkacbln]

can't believe people actually think listening to music while cycling DOESN'T pose potential risks. How can that be when anything you do you need your five senses. You nullify one you obviously increasing the risk. Yes you won't get into an accident immediately but you certain will increase the chances of that happening by not able to hear road traffic around you. I use my hearing all the time to gauge how far back a car is or if there are any traffic around me. these noises usually prompt me to look around my shoulders ever so often just to get an idea what's going on around me. this kind of noise is small comparing to the wind noise, so if I was to listen to music over the wind noise, then I got no chance of hearing road traffic noises. So i will be cycling along and blissfully and completely ignorant to my surrounding...

I have to say i haven't seen any Muppet do it on my routes, hope they get into some kind of scrapes (not massive one, just a bit of rash here and there) to teach them a lesson if they can't come to their senses.

Given that the same reduction of auditory input happens when you close the windows of a car..... One assumes that you hold any driver without all the windows open as equally deserving to suffer injury?

 

[ricky1980]

Don't think I've ever gained a significant safety advantage from using my sense of smell on a bike. Nor taste, thinking about it. I once had to slap the side of a car, though, I guess that qualifies as 'touch'

LOL that is true...i will take the sense of smell back...but it does help if someone farted in front and polluted the air and then u can avoid it

 

[ricky1980]

You Sir are a moron, wishing harm on others!

Alan...

i said if they don't come to their senses...people learn from their mistakes...if reasoning doesn't work then they will have to learn "through the experience"

 

[ricky1980]

Given that the same reduction of auditory input happens when you close the windows of a car..... One assumes that you hold any driver without all the windows open as equally deserving to suffer injury?

your body is not wrapped around a car plus car has built in safety features...where a cycling is literally flesh vs tarmac or metal...naturally under that circumstances you will need to be as aware and alert as possible...different driving environment and method of transport not a like for like comparison.

but then again you don't see pro. racing driver go on and listen to music...cos they need to be aware of the circuits through team radio as well as hearing the noise of the engine and the car in general...you will probably say STIG doesn't need to do that...well he is a GENETICALLY MODIFIED grew up in the Sizewell B nuclear reactor so he s not human i guess

 

[ufkacbln]

your body is not wrapped around a car plus car has built in safety features...where a cycling is literally flesh vs tarmac or metal...naturally under that circumstances you will need to be as aware and alert as possible...different driving environment and method of transport not a like for like comparison.

but then again you don't see pro. racing driver go on and listen to music...cos they need to be aware of the circuits through team radio as well as hearing the noise of the engine and the car in general...you will probably say STIG doesn't need to do that...well he is a GENETICALLY MODIFIED grew up in the Sizewell B nuclear reactor so he s not human i guess

Sorry, but are you actually saying out is OK for drivers to limit their hearing and compromise the safety of other road users because of the car's safety features

A car driver misses an auditory input such as a voice, bicycle bell or other vehicle and causes an accident because they have decided to close their windows........but that is fine of the driver is protected?

 

[ricky1980]

Sorry, but are you actually saying out is OK for drivers to limit their hearing and compromise the safety of other road users because of the car's safety features

A car driver misses an auditory input such as a voice, bicycle bell or other vehicle and causes an accident because they have decided to close their windows........but that is fine of the driver is protected?

what i am saying is it doesn't pose the same amount of risk to the driver as the cyclist would. Driver is not going to get hurt if a cyclist or motor bike crashes into the car...so the risk of getting yourself hurt is less.

I am not saying you should or shouldn't do for third party's welfare but purely arguing the point from self-preservation perspective. I don't expect other people to obey every rule/regulations set out, but I do expect myself to protect my well being with the utter most diligence.

 

[mickle]

can't believe people actually think listening to music while cycling DOESN'T pose potential risks. How can that be when anything you do you need your five senses. You nullify one you obviously increasing the risk. Yes you won't get into an accident immediately but you certain will increase the chances of that happening by not able to hear road traffic around you. I use my hearing all the time to gauge how far back a car is or if there are any traffic around me. these noises usually prompt me to look around my shoulders ever so often just to get an idea what's going on around me. this kind of noise is small comparing to the wind noise, so if I was to listen to music over the wind noise, then I got no chance of hearing road traffic noises. So i will be cycling along and blissfully and completely ignorant to my surrounding...

I have to say i haven't seen any Muppet do it on my routes, hope they get into some kind of scrapes (not massive one, just a bit of rash here and there) to teach them a lesson if they can't come to their senses.

Youra nidiot.

 

[ufkacbln]

what i am saying is it doesn't pose the same amount of risk to the driver as the cyclist would. Driver is not going to get hurt if a cyclist or motor bike crashes into the car...so the risk of getting yourself hurt is less.

I am not saying you should or shouldn't do for third party's welfare but purely arguing the point from self-preservation perspective. I don't expect other people to obey every rule/regulations set out, but I do expect myself to protect my well being with the utter most diligence.

So we still have the situation where it is acceptable to be injuring a third party because by closing the windows you are not exercising the utter most diligence