I'm not anti headphone, but......

[Racing roadkill]

I was stopped at a set of traffic lights a few minutes ago, and there was a cyclist with headphones on, next to me. He didn't hear the ambulance approaching from behind, he pulled straight in front of it

 

[ScotiaLass]

I do use earphones on my rides which are on shared use paths and towpaths, but even then it's only in one ear.
On the sections of road I use, I never put them in.

 

[Lonestar]

Headphones aren't really the full problem when riding bikes,it's being aware and checking behind of what is going on.I wouldn't/don't have them that loud anyway and they are cheap 99p shop stuff.

 

[LCpl Boiled Egg]

Some people don't know how to deal with an emergency vehicle behind them even if they can see and hear it. The amount of people I see who think you must just stop dead as soon as you can is incredible.

 

[Lonestar]

Some people don't know how to deal with an emergency vehicle behind them even if they can see and hear it. The amount of people I see who think you must just stop dead as soon as you can is incredible.

No,I try to plan my best way of getting out of the way,bearing in mind cars usually pull in as soon as possible also.

 

[ufkacbln]

Was the cyclist in the OP also visually impaired?

Strikes me as a bigger concern that he was so totally unaware of vehicles around him