Which do you think is more dangerous?

[shrew]

Or Do what i do, clip this bad boy on your T-shirt, leave it on speaker mode, safe as houses and good quality sound.

http://uk.creative.com/products/productarchive.asp?category=213&subcategory=214&product=17437&nav=

just make sure you get the speaker version and with a screen is handy, for £30 its a real bargain.

 

[crumpetman]

It depends doesn't it? Probably the ped that crosses the road without looking would do a similar thing on a bike.

Sometimes I listen to music while walking but only if it is round the shops or in places where there are not many roads or cars. If I have to change my position to walk past other peds then I actually look around me to check I am not going to tread on someone but I do that with or without music in my ears.

On a bike I have not tried listening to music. I quite like to just listen to the sounds around me and then when I am on the quiet cycle path I have a bit of time to think about things.

 

[slowmotion]

Helmets anyone?

 

[DavieB]

Small earbuds will fit under a helmet

I have not yet splashed out on a new one yet though..

 

[Rebel Ian]

I never cycle whilst listening to music. Using my ears and listening to what's going on around me are one of my defence mechanisms.

 

[Bromptonaut]

I'm using hearing all the time on the bike to form a picture of what's about. Using earphones in traffic is way off scale on my personal risk assessment and I don't know how anybody does it.

Having said that there's quite a difference between open back earphones and the sound isolating jobbies.

No worries wearing them as a city ped but I'm extra careful at crossings. Wouldn't wear them walking a country lane for same reason as cycling.

 

[jimboalee]

Never wear earbuds etc.

Nature supplies a wondeful array of sounds.

I'm hearing the tapping of woodpeckers recently. Blackbirds, finches, allsorts.

 

[Moodyman]

I don't listen to music when cycling, but I know many cyclists wear them in heavy traffic without any detriment.

But going back to the OP - between pedestrian and cyclist - I think (hypothetically)music is worse for the cyclist for reasons stated by GB.

 

[Globalti]

I will never cycle with earphones; I once tried skiing while listening to music and was shocked at how reckless I became.

 

[guitarpete247]

I will never cycle with earphones; I once tried skiing while listening to music and was shocked at how reckless I became.

It's the same as driving to "Drive Tunes" (Top Gear soundtracks and the like), you're tempted to push a little harder, behave a little more reckless whilst singing (in your head I hope especially cycling through town centres) along. You can be so absorbed by the music you don't concentrate enough on the traffic. It also boosts your confidence beyond your capabilities. It did mine so I stopped.
My alternative is to listen to Radio 4 and fall asleep.
No I don't but I do find that I've been listening to a play or interview and haven't got a clue what it was about.

 

[Jezston]

There's been plenty of threads on this subject before and I think I've made my views pretty clear in the past.

I listen to music regularly during my commute. I have open backed headphones so it doesn't block out external noise. If things start getting hairy through busy city center and I'm not feeling very safe, I sometimes turn them off, but leave them on my ears as they are good at reducing wind noise. Besides, noise isn't a terribly useful source of information when riding - you have to LOOK.

In conclusion, I feel safer with them on my head due to them acting as a wind shield, and mostly no more at risk with music on as they don't mask existing street noise being open backed.

I don't understand the use of one-ear or clip on external speakers - open backed headphones don't reduce the amount of auditory info you get from the outside, and if it's just the distraction aspect of listening to music that is an issue then they aren't going to make a difference to that.

 

[andygates]

Lordy, I go away for six months and it's deja vu all over again when I get back.

 

[Rob3rt]

Aren't there more pedestrians walking on the pavement killed by cars, than cyclists are killed by cars on the road? Dangerous place to be.

If you are talking in absolute numbers thats may be the case, there are more pedestrians than cyclists hence the chances of incident is higher. Plus a ped being ran over on the pavement is the drivers fault not the pedestrians really. The data must be normalised to give any real meaning.

Personally I dont like any earphones apart form the noise reducing ear bud kind (I find others either dont stay in properly, or are uncomfortable) these block out other sounds, hence I dont wear them whilst cycling. But I have no issues with wearing my earbuds and listening with loud volume while im walking around. I have no real opinion on it to be honest.

 

[joggingbob]

Personal view is that it either reduces my awareness or I would not take in what is being played so do not use when commuting or cycling full stop, (but would like to listen to the radio but decided against). I don't use them when running on the road, (country lanes etc) but will when running on the pavement, (perhaps contradicting myself but that is the reality).

 

[orkneyblues]

Hi

I live and cycle in Mainland Orkney, part of the Northern Isles. My commute is 8 miles along fairly open countryside. I regularly wear ear bud type headphones whilst listening to mainly radio Scotland or radio 4, although occasionally i like to listen to some music. I have found that I hear approaching traffic from quite some distance back and have ample time to adjust my road position if necessary. This is probably due to very little background noise which would mask traffic noise, in which case I would probably not wear headphones.