Cycling with headphones/ipods

[wiggydiggy]

+1


I've stopped wearing headphones whilst walking after an embarrassing incident in a shopping precinct... I was walking along, minding my own business, listening to my mp3 player when out of nowhere I heard a whooshing noise to my right which got louder and louder... in fear of my life I ducked down and raised my hands to defend myself against the imminent missile attack... at which point I realised it was just a noise coming from the mp3 player and not a missile, but it was too late... I'm practically on my knees, protecting my head with my hands and looking at a variety of WTF expressions on the passing shoppers faces.

You should have run off screaming 'They are coming! All of you run'

 

[ebournecyclist]

To each, his/her own adult choice i would have thought. I choose not to, that isn't to say I wouldn't but I haven't. I have rides where I think it would be less advisable, but others may feel differently.

But, if (heaven forbid, touching wood etc) I were ever to have an accident with a pedestrian/vehicle/insert other I think it would be harder to defend my corner in respect to my own responsibility if the other party were able to point to the fact that I had headphone/s in. Whether it were fair or not I could see it being argued and used against me.

 

[Inertia]

To add my 2 pennies worth, maybe its just me but as long as its not so loud you cant hear anything else at all then I don't see a problem, you should be checking visually before you make any maneuvers anyway. If you are the kind of person who is easily distracted then maybe not, but that just seems common sense. Although people may find it inadvisable, its pure speculation that its extremely dangerous, unless anyone actually has figures.

 

[SquareDaff]

Although people may find it inadvisable, its pure speculation that its extremely dangerous, unless anyone actually has figures.

Can we have volunteers for a study on whether it's much easier to get knocked off your bike with headphones on/in rather than off please?

 

[ian turner]

One in particular which has the sound of car horns, a whooshing sound at the end and a suitably apt title is 'Suicide' by Barclay James Harvest.

Detroit Rock City - Kiss

Can we have volunteers for a study on whether it's much easier to get knocked off your bike with headphones on/in rather than off please?

Add in the option of with or without helmet to see if wearing a helmet protects the earphone wearer from damage and if there is any difference in the number of accidents between those only wearing earphones and those only wearing helmets

 

[4F]

Can we have volunteers for a study on whether it's much easier to get knocked off your bike with headphones on/in rather than off please?

Will volunteers have to wear a helmet and jump red lights ?

 

[4F]

Detroit Rock City - Kiss


Add in the option of with or without helmet to see if wearing a helmet protects the earphone wearer from damage and if there is any difference in the number of accidents between those only wearing earphones and those only wearing helmets

Grrrrrrr, beat me to it

 

[Dan B]

If a pedestrian on a shared cycle path stepped out in front of you on your bike because they had their headphones in and didn't hear you coming you'd complain

No, I'd expect it, because that's what pedestrians often do and on a shared path they have priority anyway

Plus which I don't think anyone on the pro-headphones side of the argument is suggesting that making random direction changes into the path of other vehicles is a good idea, irrespective of whether you can hear them coming.

Bad analogy

 

[Chris.IOW]

I don't listen to anything when cycling, as has been mentioned before I like to hear the sounds of the countryside I'm cycling though and I rarely cycle in traffic.

As for all this talk of it being distracting:

I drive my car and have my music on, often a bit loud and I sometimes even sing along, add to that I'm in a car and therefore can't hear the other traffic that much anyway, and often have someone talking at me from the passenger seat, but somehow when I change road position, such as turning or changing lanes on a motorway I manage to avoid other cars. I would think other senses are more important then hearing traffic to keep you safe on the roads.

I also go running, well slow jogging really, and always listen to my Ipod, (I would probably choose to throw myself under a truck to ease the boredom of running without music). Again when crossing a road I look carefully rather than listening for a car.

Besides with the growth of electric cars there are a lot of cars out there that don't make any noise as they approach you anyway.

 

[Moderators]

Keep it polite, please.
Jezston - I'm looking at you. Stop it.

 

[gaz]

I don't have a problem with people that listen to music etc.. whilst cycling.
BUT if you let the music distract you from cycling safely. Then that is where you become a silly cyclist.

 

[SquareDaff]

Will volunteers have to wear a helmet and jump red lights ?

Was trying to avoid mentioning that - but would be interested to find out how may headphone wearing advocates also think RLJ'ing is OK!!

Light blue touch paper and stand back

 

[SquareDaff]

No, I'd expect it, because that's what pedestrians often do and on a shared path they have priority anyway

Plus which I don't think anyone on the pro-headphones side of the argument is suggesting that making random direction changes into the path of other vehicles is a good idea, irrespective of whether you can hear them coming.

Bad analogy

Someone not answering with abuse- excellent!!
OK Dan - I take your point - but we (as cyclists) do exercise our freedom to move about the road much more than cars (who tend to stick in one lane or another) in the same way pedestrians do on a shared use path. Granted we might not have the priority over other users that pedestrians have but hopefully you get my analogy. It's so easy to become distracted by things other than those we should be concentrating on when you're just riding a bike. Why increase the risks? Personally I wouldn't. It's my view and is the one I've expressed. However If you feel you'd like to take your chances with the increased risk then it's your right to do so too. Hopefully it's a risk that will only have implications for you.

 

[4F]

Someone not answering with abuse- excellent!!

To be fair to Jezston there was a very recent thread which he put up a valiant fight in defending the use of cycling whilst wearing headphones and a couple of my comments on this thread where trying to get a reaction from him.
Seems they worked

 

[SquareDaff]

To be fair to Jezston there was a very recent thread which he put up a valiant fight in defending the use of cycling whilst wearing headphones and a couple of my comments on this thread where trying to get a reaction from him.
Seems they worked

I'll also be fair to Jezston - I wasn't actually refering to him. I don't actually consider what he puts abuse as I'm reasonably sure tongue is usually firmly in cheek but without the emoticons! He usually has some good counter points and the whole point of a lot of these forums is debate. If you were right all the time life would be very boring!! Just had some responses on other topics where it's been over the top and sometimes bordering on personal!