that's not the point of this thread...however personally i think when you are in a car, it isn't going to massively help to have your window down and listen to outside noise. (the exception is if someone beep you then again how many people have loud enough horns on their bikes? bells are next to useless)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
listening to music in a car isn't a sin...but i feel talking on phones/fidgeting with satnav/stereo/phones; texting and talking to passenger and not focusing on the road are all dangerous. these activities reduce the driver's awareness and perception of his/her surrounding and often the cause of in-town accidents especially with cyclists and motor cyclists. And just bad drivers who doesn't check mirror and blind spots before turning. Even seasoned black cab drivers do it in london. The number of times i had close shaves with Addison Lee and Black cabs will probably run into high double figures easily. Some addison lee drivers are out there to kill cyclists i think, very aggressive!