Headphones and Cycling! Is it safe?

[Jezston]

Well, I think we can safely say, in response to the OP:

"Headphones and Cycling! Is it safe?"

YES!

The End.

 

[Norm]

The rules for motorcyclists suggest the rider "Consider wearing ear protection". Surely such protection would be little better that wearing headphones.

Nah, it's fine for motor vehicle operators to block their hearing like this, or with closed windows and radio in the car. It's only cyclists that aren't allowed to do this, that or someone is talking bollocks.

You really can't see the difference between a motorcyclist wearing ear plugs and a rider wearing headphones?

Let me help you with a couple:

1. Motorbikes travelling over about 50mph for a sustained period will create enough wind noise to damage hearing. Cyclists don't have that problem.
2. Motorbike ear protection is designed to work most on the dangerous frequencies. In other words, it reduces the wind noise but has less effect on sound frequencies in the range of the human voice or sirens. Motorcyclist ear protection improves the ability to hear other noises around the rider.
3. Motorcyclist earplugs do not introduce another noise which may itself be a distraction.
4. Motorcyclists are more likely to be travelling at the same speed as the traffic around them, so they are less vulnerable to unseen traffic coming up behind them.

None of that distracts from your earlier point, Mike, that listening is not a 100% substitute for looking, but I do think that someone is indeed talking bollocks.

 

[ian_uk]

Is there an example of conviction for riding without due care and attention? My understanding was that the only option for the prosecutor was 'riding furiously' or some such thing.

I'm not a lawyer or anything but the Road Traffic Act 1988 definitely cites the whole due care and attention thing,

29 Careless, and inconsiderate, cycling

If a person rides a cycle on a road without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road, he is guilty of an offence.
In this section “road” includes a bridleway.

This is the problem we these sort of laws, they are very subjective, in some cases and to some people the wearing of headphones wouldn't affect your ability to give 'due care and attention', while in other cases and to other people, it would. In response to your earlier question. I honestly don't know, I just knew that you could get done for it. It's just one of those things I guess, you either feel comfortable running the risk or you don't.

PS, I am a headphone wearer usually.

 

[Tinuts]

Well, I think we can safely say, in response to the OP:

"Headphones and Cycling! Is it safe?"

YES!

The End.

In your dreams!

 

[BentMikey]

The bollocks bit is thinking that you need hearing to be safe on a bicycle.

 

[Bill Gates]

29 Careless, and inconsiderate, cycling

If a person rides a cycle on a road without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road, he is guilty of an offence.
In this section “road” includes a bridleway.


I was done for this in 1976. It was while I was on holiday in Devon. I lived in London and the cost of going back down to Devon to defend it outweighed the severity of the fine.

 

[Bill Gates]

Listening to music affects your mood. I know that if I had rock music on the car stereo I drove more aggressively than if I listened to classical. Just a point

 

[palinurus]

I only ever listen to free jazz on the bike. Sharpens you up it does.

****s your rhythm up though.

 

[potsy]

Well, I think we can safely say, in response to the OP:

"Headphones and Cycling! Is it safe?"

YES!

The End.

Why is this thread continuing? It has been officially closed by Jezston

I used to wear them 75% of the time,now maybe 25% as I stay 'on road' most of the time now,avoiding the shared paths wherever I can.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Yeah, close this thread, then another will open in a few weeks and we'll all go round the houses..................again.

 

[potsy]

Yeah, close this thread, then another will open in a few weeks and we'll all go round the houses..................again.

Yes but we could get Jez to 'end' the thread earlier than page 28 next time

 

[MacB]

Well I went out for 24miles yesterday and finally tried out my new, had them a few months, Salsa clip MP3 and Seinnheiser earphones. these are the type that hook over your ear and sit on the outside rather than insert into ear canal. I'd like to report that there were good, bad and embarrassing results:-

Good - could still hear traffic, really enjoyed the experience and didn't feel at all cut off from reality, possibly did even more shoulder checks than normal, no bad thing. Some of the tracks seemed to have some interesting accompaniment until I realised it was wind noise.

Bad - I'd bunged on(proper way of saying ripped) all music in the house and haven't organised proper playlists etc yet. There was some pretty dire stuff of which the worst was suddenly listening to a song from an old western musical about Liberty Valance. This was followed by some of my eldests heavy thrash metal, not a good mix.

Embarrassing - bit of Motown came on as I approached some lights and, before I knew it, I was doing a semi track stand(ie rolling very slowly) while jigging on the pedals. Not known for my dancing or rythm I can only apologise to the motorists who had to witness this. A fat bloke in red Spanish national team bib shorts, brown fleece, blue socks and black trainers. I may even having been singing along, badly, at one point as well

So I pronounce cycling with headphones as safe though I may be risking arrest by the fashion, and good taste, police.

 

[karlos_the_jackal]

So I pronounce cycling with headphones as safe though I may be risking arrest by the fashion, and good taste, police.

I wear one ear phone in my left ear at low volume.

I'm a CIRM which means chartered member on the institute of risk management. You are not minimising the risk but i would rather do that and not run red lights. Risk v Reward.

the only really question is the playlist and the fact that i have one ear in but everybody else at traffic lights can hear the other ear.

 

[BentMikey]

That's assuming you are incurring additional risk by listening to music. I don't believe so, since you need to look to be safe. Hearing can't prove that another vehicle is not there, so you always need to look.

 

[bryce]

I have used one headphone in my left ear commuting through London for a few years and it's never caused me any problems. It's never loud and the right ear compensates and there's usually more 'danger noise' from the right. I can't think of a situation where it would cause an issue (if someone said something to me from the left I would still hear them).