49 years ago today Dylan went electric. He was booed, notoriously, by folk aficionados who weren’t quite ready to be yanked out of the accoustic age. It isn’t clear if they were Luddites, or Peter Paul & Mary fans who had bought tickets to the wrong concert and were confused if that was his voice or the feedback.
It seems an appropriate day to do this short quiz:
When is music not a distraction?
A. When in control of any vehicle heavier than a bicycle
B. If a surgeon, performing an operation
C. Those times you have a baton in your hand and are quite dressed up
My point being, why are cyclists singled out? What makes us so uniquely unqualified at multitasking that we can’t handle Handel and handlebars at the same time? Why should we be condemned to have to listen to the unlovely and often not particularly helpful sharps and flats of traffic?
I ride a bike. I listen to music. Frequently I do both at the same time. This makes me, in the eyes of many, mad, bad, and dangerous to know.
Am I? Are you? Answers on a postcard.
Road.cc doesn’t do polls, so I’ve put one up here. You don’t need to register to vote.
-1024x680.jpg "“Clear anti-cyclist bias”: Lawsuit filed against Toronto police after cop doored cyclist… before ticketing rider over incident")
68 thoughts on “Earphones on cyclists: Yea or Nay?”
I don’t (though on quiet
I don’t (though on quiet mornings, I often do listen to podcasts in my left ear only).
I listen to music, not too
I listen to music, not too loud as to drown out the traffic though – so I can hear cars coming up still.
I wear them, but I keep it
I wear them, but I keep it low and only use the ones with ear clips that sit outside the ear canal so I can still hear traffic.
In winter I wear them just to stop the wind from chilling the inside of my ears too.
It is frowned upon by those
It is frowned upon by those cyclists who have the ability to levitate, as listening to music stops them being able to work out when someone is about to deliberately ram them from behind. If you can’t tell if you’re about to be purposefully driven into, you don’t know when to start the levitation process to avoid this.
I don’t, but if it doesn’t
I don’t, but if it doesn’t impair your ability to hear what’s going on around you I don’t see that there’s any harm in it.
I choose not to i did a
I choose not to i did a couple of times but the whooshing sound of the wind got on my nerves and to be honest taking in the sounds around me is one of the pleasures of cycling.
Can’t sit on public transport without them though.
I don’t. In both the forces,
I don’t. In both the forces, and martial arts training, you’ll always be advised never to wear hoods due to the impairment of your hearing and the risk of attack from behind. The same applies to earphones. Whether that risk is from an individual intent on harming you, or as per this discussion a careless driver, makes little difference.
Maybe my background just makes me paranoid.
I often listen to an audio
I often listen to an audio book in my left ear – is that any different to chatting on a ride. OK, maybe a little – but you can listen to other things and still hear other traffic.
Loud music I would say no, since I want to hear cyclists if they want to warn me they are passing.
Not noise cancelling earphones, obviously, but I reckon I am more alert when I am not completely bored on a very long ride.
Not particularly fair
Not particularly fair comparisons. Wearing headphones while driving is illegal. Wearing headphones while performing surgery would get your medical licence to practice revoked.
Having the radio on in the background of those activities is the equivalent of having your mobile phone in your pocket playing through the speakers, NOT headphones.
Back to the point: If you want to block out all the traffic information from behind you and most of the information coming from the sides then feel free, but don’t then complain when you are hit from behind or from the side.
Just to hear team radio now
Just to hear team radio now and again.
Nah seriously, I like to hear nature. I think it’s pretty sad if you really have to block that out. You’re not as aware if you’ve got your music on really loud either, hearing is an important sense.
The only people I tend to see with headphones in whilst riding are kids riding their BMX or MTB, on the pavement one handed usually, or *shudder* the fluorescent commuter squad. Both I consider less skilled cyclists.
Headphones on the trainer and in the gym are essential though.
J90 wrote:The only people I
Quite a condescending remark, what does skill level have to do with earphones? Most of the most skilled riders you’ll ever see on two wheels started out on BMX and MTB.
kevinmorice wrote:Not
Although my point had more to do with the common supposition that music is necessarily distracting than the precise delivery system, I was listening with open ears until it came to
Why so ominous? Is there evidence that earphones cause a statistically significant (or even any) portion of cyclist injuries? And why the implication that I might evade personal responsibility in such an event? Strikes me as a bit, well, unfair.
Granted the only evidence I have that it’s safe is anecdotal – my own as yet unclaimed life, through many years and many thousands of miles plugged in, much of it in the unforgiving environment of London.
I’m glad you mentioned the Velominati, as I have a few rules of my own (well, handed down to me, of course). Comparing the two sets of rules, the schism starts at the very beginning…
Wearing earphones falls somwhere between “Make a joyful noise” and “Don’t make it joyless, Oi!”
‘Quote:
don’t then complain
‘Quote:
don’t then complain when you are hit from behind or from the side.’
Because being able to hear someone about to hit you from behind enables you to….what?
As someone who hit the deck
As someone who hit the deck hard whilst wearing in-ear earphones having been hit by a car (not music / earphone related – driver jumped a red and t-boned me) I can attest to the pain that ramming an earphone into your inner ear does. I’ve never worn earphones since.
I used to ride with one
I used to ride with one headphone tucked in to my left ear. I stopped because I ride for all the pleasures that cycling brings, including enjoying the sounds around me. Whether or not it’s safer isn’t the question needed here. What we ought to ask is why reduce the effectiveness of one of our senses when all we really have to protect us on our bikes is our wits? Ultimately, the choice is ours to make, just like wearing helmets, fluoro jackets/ jerseys and bike lights.
I ride with my left headphone
I ride with my left headphone in as personally I find I’m more aware of my surroundings!
When I’ve ridden without I find my mind wandering and then sometimes the bike wanders across the road a bit!!! =))
For me, nay. I’m already
For me, nay. I’m already riding a mobile entertainment device. Adding another one would only confuse me. But I am a simple man.
I personally wont do it as I
I personally wont do it as I feel it disorientated me when I did try it. However…
..yesterday when riding home from work I did pass a young rider (I’d say about 17) with full cups over the ears. Yes he was listening to music. BUT when I slowed behind to make sure it was safe to pass he was looking around, observing and acknowledged my presence. He accounted for the idiot pedestrian who rambled into the road like a drunk on a mobile, he went wide of the taxi door and didnt try to go down the left of the lorry at the lights.
I think it depends on the rider. I’ve seen plenty of riders over the years without ‘phones in who ride like idiots. Like the salmon lad 15 minutes later yesterday…
EDIT – I will say. A guy at work used to put his phone/mp3 on a “speaker phone” setting when he rode. OK its a bit noisy for others but its an option to look into
It’s not an offence but a
It’s not an offence but a Dutch study showed that young drivers (car drivers) tend to make more mistakes / bad calls when listening to music – not even using headphones.
IMHO anything that distract you or limits your ability to be aware of whats happening around you is a bad idea.
Be safe out there.
Contrast and compare.
a)
Contrast and compare.
a) Cyclist privately listening to their choice of music through headphones.
b) W**k*r in car inflicting his choice of Drum & Base on the world at a volume that is causing his eardrums to meet in the middle as there is bugger all in the way to stop them.
a) Cyclist privately listening to their choice of music through headphones whilst still being aware of their surroundings.
b) W**k*r in car inflicting his choice of Drum & Base on the world at a volume … with the windows wound up and completely oblivious to the world at large or the screams of his victims.
Personally I don’t wear headphones, not because of safety concerns but for the simple reason I don’t find in-ear phones or ‘cans’ comfortable when riding. If you chose to wear them that’s up to you; just so long as your aware of my presence. That’s all I ask. Be safe!
So, being stone deaf means
So, being stone deaf means you can’t safely ride your bike, or drive, or walk along the street?
Just how much can the driver of an articulated lorry hear when he is sitting in his cab, 3m up in the air, with the engine noise and radio one with the windows up, or a car driver with the radio on?
I think the most important
I think the most important thing is not what you can hear but what you are aware of. And that’s a whole different matter.
It’s like the difference between a car driver looking in their mirror and observing what they can see in their mirror.
It’s the difference between looking ahead and reading the road ahead.
As human beings we are very good at sensing threats and in order to do this we use all our senses so deafness is not a factor.
I wear earphones on my
I wear earphones on my commute – I listen to Radio 4 (it’s the only chance I get to catch up on the news). The reception isn’t great and often it’s set to a low mutter that I can tune out if necessary or turn up if interested. I find my commute quite boring having done it for several years and welcome having something to listen to. I can still hear traffic coming behind me and have a volume control widget under my chin which means I can silence radio for courtesy (when talking to other cyclists for example).
When I did my LeJog and the East-West (St David’s-Lowestoft) I took my i-pod but didn’t use it; just being somewhere different and doing such an amazing trip was enough. I didn’t need music and didn’t want the news.
I agree that you shouldn’t deafen yourself and should be aware of surroundings. But when in the car I have music or radio on; why not on the bike?
Forget what lorry drivers,
Forget what lorry drivers, car drivers, deaf drivers/ riders are doing. It’s up to each of us to take responsibility for our own safety. I would recommend not using headphones (see my earlier post), if there is a cycle path / lane – use it, make sure you can be easily seen (lights, reflective gear etc) wear as much protective gear as you can cope with and most importantly don’t rely on other road users common sense – they often don’t have any. Your safety is your responsibility don’t rely on other peoples fast reactions or anticipation. Remember in the Highway Code it tells us to observe, indicate THEN manoeuvre. It really is that obvious, but the number of 2 and 4 + wheeled road users that I see doing stupid things that put themselves or others in danger defies belief.
Sit at the back and be quiet
At last a like mind with regard to safety and who is responsible for your safety.
Remember a flashing indicator is just that an indication of what the driver MIGHT be about to do.
Sit at the back and be quiet
Which is why the vast majority of people decide not to cycle at all. That’s kind of the problem.
We live in a society, we aren’t in a state of nature, we pretty much _have_ to expect others to take at least some measure of responsibility for our safety, its not possible to function otherwise.
As for ‘use a cycle path/lane when available’ – dubious advice, such paths can be dangerous (the constant giveway at every hidden driveway or side road or the various obsticles you can crash into, for on-pavement cycle paths, and the cycle lanes in door zones on the road), and if not, simply so slow as to be pointless.
The only time I’ve been hit by a car is because I made the mistake of following the on-road cycle lane, which took me right across the mouth of a side road, when I would have been better taking the lane thus preventing the misjudged overtake/sideswipe manueuver.
NO, NO, NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT.
NO, NO, NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT. When riding a bike you are in charge of a DANGEROUS VEHICLE that weighs 10 kilograms and can easily achieve speeds of 20 mph (if wind/gravity are favourable).
Anyone using headphones or mobile phones on a bike is putting themselves at risk, and everyone else who cycles too, as it makes car, lorry and bus drivers respect us less.
Etc, etc…
It’s all a “dead cat”
It’s all a “dead cat” diversion tactic by the politicians and driving lobby designed to throw blame and risk onto the person riding a bike & make cyclists seem reckless.
Wearing earphones are a lot less of an issue than listening to tunes in a hermetically sealed steel and glass box, but that is the social normal and therefore acceptable.
I rarely wear them btw as I find the wind noise irritating, and enjoy listening to the countryside, unless I’m alongside a busy road & then I can’t hear myself think anyways. They only come out when I am followinf directions on cyclestreets or google
Cyclists who are deaf find
Cyclists who are deaf find their ability to cycle not impaired by their hearing loss, neither is mine when I wear headphones. I choose not to most of the time because most of my journeys are quite short and I love fully immersing myself in music.
I always wear them. On a four
I always wear them. On a four hour ride I can take in a whole audiobook, or gym music keeps me going on a sportive.
As quite a few above have
As quite a few above have stated, I don’t wear earphones because I like to enjoy my time outdoors and hear the sounds of the city. I do note that when I’m walking with earphones that it is significantly more difficult to locate the distance and location of sounds even though I have the sound low enough that I can hear conversations around me. In terms of other riders wearing earphones, many times (especially during commuting times when it’s busy) I’ll be overtaking another cyclist who is wearing earphones who can’t hear me warning them that I’m passing (ie “Passing left”) and have had to swing wide to avoid them weaving out in front of me. By all means enjoy yourself but don’t be oblivious.
‘For me, nay. I’m already
‘For me, nay. I’m already riding a mobile entertainment device. Adding another one would only confuse me. But I am a simple man.’
That is a *splendid* response 🙂
It’s a no-no for me. Someone
It’s a no-no for me. Someone made a point about deaf cyclists above, would I ban them? No, but they inherently take more risks than me when riding, because they have one less sense to use. Just like I use my experience as an extra sense to know which type of side roads or junctions to take extra care around.
‘Quote:
don’t then complain
‘Quote:
don’t then complain when you are hit from behind or from the side.’
Because being able to hear someone about to hit you from behind enables you to….what?
Well… From personal experience, hear the taxi waiting at the junction hit the revs as I passed in front of him.
Had time to glance, assess, and choose what bit of the Zafira hit me. Brake hard get the offside wing across my front end and over the bonnet with a hard tarmac landing, accelerate and get the nearside on my back end with the spinning result, or tweak position and get hit dead centre of the grill where the best bits of the crumple zones are and no glass and hope he brakes.
Believe me, I made this assessment in the bare two seconds I had before impact and screamed blue hell at the driver at the same time. I was not getting away. Bike destroyed, suspected (but not) broken leg, I was as prepared as I could be to hit the ground on my right side. Without the warning I heard, my scream at the driver which startled him into braking, oblivious, unprepared and run down….
Nay
When driving my ears
Nay
When driving my ears don’t really give me much information about the road around me , at best tell me my motor is in needed of a service. So music in that instance does not reduce my awareness. Though it can influence behaviour.
On my bike I can hear engines , people , bells , alarms , tyres , brakes etc. All of which increase my awareness of the road around me , give me some insight on those blind bends etc. This would be lost if using earphones.
I would also suspect , but would love to see some research on , much of what people listen to is not appropriate. In your post you show surgeons as one answer, many of whom do have music during ops to help calm the patient and quite probably themselves. Conversely playing some banging tunes can have the opposite effect and could influence poor behaviour.
More research is really needed but I prefer to err on the side of caution.
[[[[[ Sam Walker–shouldn’t
[[[[[ Sam Walker–shouldn’t that be “handlebars and Handel’s bars”?
P.R.
{Sigh} Probably.
{Sigh} Probably.
No, if your ears work, use
No, if your ears work, use them, it’s essential, you’re kidding yourself on otherwise, on cycle or on horseback, anything else makes enough noise of its own that it makes little odds, there is no comparison with motor vehicles.
I hear something behind, or to the side, I turn round and look, I ensure my road position is good well in advance.
Motor vehicle tyre noise can be heard a long way off.
Yay if you’re someone who’s
Yay if you’re someone who’s able to deal with riding a bike safely without one of your key senses, nay if you cannot.
It is, of course, a matter of personal choice and one’s attitude to risk, for anyone else to say if you should or shouldn’t is pointless.
Here’s a list of my favourite
Here’s a list of my favourite senses. Hearing doesn’t make the top six.
—
I see if I want comments to go into the 4 figures I’m going to have to give something away. How about a CD? I’ve got a rare copy of Dylan’s [i]Street Legal[/i] with the zombie on the cover, representing the changing of the guards in the song of the same name: that’s right, he predicted the zombie apocalypse back in the late 70s.
I think there are conditions
I think there are conditions where headphones do not detract from riding, but there are equally times where it does. I think you have the right to wear headphones, but with that right comes a responsibility to pay more attention….chances are that if you do take this responsibility seriously you’ll be too busy concentrating to appreciate your music….and so it goes.
I ride to work on a canal path which is quite narrow. If I can’t hear people travelling under the bridges or ringing a bell it impairs my ability to make a good judgement. Wear headphones, but I guess if you are asking the question you know that you are less in touch with your surroundings and potentially vulnerable.
I’m not asking the question
I’m not asking the question in the sense of “Should I personally be doing this?”, as that’s been answered to my satisfaction long ago. I’m asking because I think there is a kneejerk reaction (exemplified to an extreme in some of the initial comments here – I’ve even had some framed). I would like for people to examine exactly why they have a problem with this. To lift a popular idiom from the never-ending helmet debate, I’m trying to make the case that it isn’t a no-brainer.
While I am fully in the camp that you shouldn’t ride outside your safety comfort zone, so far I have seen no convincing case to condemn the practice.
Yes, hearing is one of the great senses; I’m so glad evolution threw it into the mix. No, it isn’t necessary to concentrate all of it on the din of traffic for safe riding, at least in my experience, which would appear to be supported by the lack of research and gruesome stats which would at least lend weight to the prosecution’s case.
I hate for this to sound like an exclusive club or something, but those of us who do this will know what I’m talking about: When you’re riding, particularly (especially) in traffic, listening to a favourite tune can have the effect of making your eyes seem like laser beams
Credit
as you constantly scan for possible trouble, and eyes are much better at recognising real trouble than ears. It doesn’t completely block ambient noise (you can still hear stuff! Probably more than most motorists can) but does help hush all the annoying and frankly unnecessary auditory clutter which bombards us. And it just feels great; music is a well known mood enhancer, after all. As I’ve written elsewhere it can help calm road rage, or better yet, stop it from rearing its ugly head. I’m not at all stressed when I cycle in the city. How many people can say that?
PS. Polls are still open
I don’t often listen to music
I don’t often listen to music while riding, but there are occasions when I do and think to myself, “y’know, I’d rather actually be hit by something once in a blue moon than feel like I’m going to be hit every other second”. Noise pollution is one of the most unpleasant factors about riding in close proximity with motor vehicles, and when you’re not IN a motor vehicle, you don’t have a wall of glass/steel/radio/etc. in which to shut if off.
I tend not to listen to it in when cycling into somewhere like central London, as I’m having to make decisions every other second and I just find it too stressful to concentrate on music as well. However, when I’m out on the open road, or chugging around Richmond Park, I’m generally much happier doing it, as my decision set if pretty much down to ‘go forwards in a straight line’, and if I DO get hit (which feels a lot less likely out of the chaos), I feel like there’s very little I could do about it anyway. The music wouldn’t influence my decision making as there were pretty much no decisions to make anyway.
The ‘headphone debate’ had been employed by politicians to indirectly re-enforce the notion that cyclists must treat themselves – and expect to be treated – as prey, and that’s just fine; which shifts responsibility of the said politicians away from having to create environments in which one CAN ride a bike without fear of death if one makes the slightest mistake. No doubt cyclists would also be encouraged to evolve eyes on the side of the heads rather than the traditional forward-facing set-up if at all possible.
When i’m in the UK and riding
When i’m in the UK and riding to the office I don’t use headphones. In the summer, when I’m riding around the French countryside I do. The difference is that I can ride for couple of hours out here in France and only be passed by a handful of cars – almost all of which are very respectful to cyclists and it’s not like there isn’t enough room to pass on these empty country roads. I realise I’m taking an unnecessary risk, but that’s my choice and my responsibility.
when I ride I like to listen
when I ride I like to listen to the larks and lapwings and curlews on the moors, the swish of my tyres on a wet road, the clunk of a gear change, sheep baaing, cows mooing, the clip clop of horses coming back from the gallops, the wind in the trees, water rushing over rocks, a farmer shouting instructions to a sheepdog, or where the rider I just caught up with or got caught up by is headed and where they’ve come from. Wearing earphones would be like wearing a blindfold to me.
when I ride I like to listen
when I ride I like to listen to the larks and lapwings and curlews on the moors, the swish of my tyres on a wet road, the clunk of a gear change, sheep baaing, cows mooing, the clip clop of horses coming back from the gallops, the wind in the trees, water rushing over rocks, a farmer shouting instructions to a sheepdog, or where the rider I just caught up with or got caught up by is headed and where they’ve come from. Wearing earphones would be like wearing a blindfold to me.
Why are people comparing
Why are people comparing lorries/cars and bikes?
You’re a lot more protected in one then on your bike. Also, you don’t have mirrors on your bike you can glance into, which is a massive part of driving. If there was a way of fitting a little one somewhere on a road bike without it looking stupid, then I probably would in all honesty.
My head hardly stops moving on the bike anyway though, that probably stems from having generations of motorcyclists in the family I think, not everybody is that aware of their surroundings, some people not at all.
Northernbike – What an
Northernbike – What an evocative soundtrack; a fine addition to the “nay” column. When I cycle in the city I have nothing so poetic to look forward to, so I much prefer my chosen playlist. (Quince’s first paragraph in his post slightly upthread also resonates with me.) The countryside where I live is usually friendlier on the ears, but still, riding through it every day as I do, I’ll take the blindfold.
Already live with sheep right outside my windows half the year, so I’m not missing much there. Am always on one singlespeed or another; no pleasantly clunky gear changes (are the modern ones so clunky? I thought that had been ironed out in the lab). The cows I can smell, which fills my senses quite enough. Larks & lapwings & curlews & water rushing over rocks sounds awfully nice I’ll grant you; there is a dearth of those on my regular rounds.
The farmers are usually in their tractor cabs listening to music of their own; the local shepherd, on his loud dune buggy. Those times I pass another cyclist, it’s easy enough to turn down the volume or remove an earpiece to be ready for any social interaction should it be offered between the grunts which are the typical conversational fare amongst the hills.
Soothing a balm as ‘natural’ noises can be on the soul, a daily diet of it isn’t necessarily more uplifting than the vast library of human expression piped through that skinny cord.
As I type this I’m looking forward to the Far East Sussex night I’m about to dive into on my bike. At some point I will, however, remove my ‘phones just to soak up the sound of peaceful silence.
~ @jollygoodthen
I’ve been commuting on my
I’ve been commuting on my bike for years, and have found the best way to stay safe is to pretend that everyone wants to kill me. They’re not going to go out of their way to do it, because they’re people and therefore inherently lazy, but if they see an opportunity they’ll take it- cars will pull out in front of me, passengers will open their doors at exactly the right/wrong moment, pedestrians will step out in front of me etc. I’ve found this mindset remarkably accurate for predicting people’s behaviour, and so applying this logic to the earphone debate I ask myself “would I wear earphones knowing that everybody wants to kill me?”. The answer of course is “no way”.
If you ride thinking (or even
If you ride thinking (or even pretending) everybody wants to kill you, you’re braver than I am; I’d never get on a bike in the first place if I thought the road was so dangerous.
—-
An ear on the traffic
No, No, No, No. How can we
No, No, No, No. How can we ever condemn drivers for using phones, etc and being distracted and then even consider it Ok for us. Hypocritical springs to mind. We set our standards as though we would like from others. :)) :)) :)) :)) :))
joolzkite wrote:No, No, No,
Are you trolling or being sarcastic?
This is an easy one.
Hell no.
This is an easy one.
Hell no. Have you got a death wish?
Next!
Riding with headphones on
Riding with headphones on makes no difference whatsoever to safety….when you are on a turbo trainer.
On the road I want to know as much as possible about what’s going on around me.
The voting continues with the
The voting continues with the Nays now building their lead. I could rig the poll but Jimmy Carter would come round and shame me.
I’m not sure it matters. I
I’m not sure it matters. I very rarely wear headphones on a bike but when I have, I can still hear cars coming up behind me. When I don’t wear headphones, I’m regularly surprised by cyclists overtaking me.
Of course to be fair, if they ban headphones on bikes they must also ban music in motor vehicles and make it illegal to drive without all windows fully open. And introduce mandatory ear holes in motorcycle helmets.
All cyclists should be forced
All cyclists should be forced to sing loudly and continuously thus negating the need for headphones, providing free, low-tech entertainment for themselves with the additional benefit of an audible warning to those around them. 8}
No way!…for all of the
No way!…for all of the reasons in the other posts. Darwin Award behavior.
In my view using headphones
In my view using headphones is unwise on a bike.
I also don’t like motorists wearing headphones.
As it happens I usually drive my car with the window open in busy traffic so that I can hear what is going on around me. I don’t think it is necessary, but I like to.
Sirens in the distance, a high revving engine, the whizz of another bike coming up behind me, they’re all noises I would like to hear to keep me fully aware.
But as with helmets, it should be down to the individual cyclist to decide.
J
Nay
Nay :W
Absolute Nay! The comparison
Absolute Nay! The comparison is flawed as the surgeon doesnt need to hear his surroundings to avoid danger to himself, neither does a conductor and an ice cream van is hardly playing his music loud enough nor for a prolongedperiod of time to be distracting to the traffic.
But hey, if you want to rob yourself of your important senses in an already toxic environment (traffic), you go just ahead! Please make sure to carry your organ donor card with you, thx =)
Shades: “Darwin Award
Shades: “Darwin Award behavior.”
Here’s one I made earlier.
bici1977: “…hey, if you want to rob yourself of your important senses in an already toxic environment (traffic), you go just ahead! Please make sure to carry your organ donor card with you, thx =)”
You’re welcome to your opinion – that is, after all, what I’m asking for here – but if you’re going to show concern for my health (presumably you’d like me to keep my organs?), kindly don’t ruin the effect by anticipating my status as a future cadaver open for business.
view back of card
As I replied upthread, why so ominous? Is there evidence that earphones cause a statistically significant (or even any) portion of cyclist injuries?
Fair point, and yes, I dont
Fair point, and yes, I dont wish harm to anyone or the author 😉
Anyhow, it has nothing to do with evidence if earphones cause more cycling injuries or not. The point is, we as cyclists, want to be and are full members of traffic and want to be respected as such. That goes either way. The same way we dont accept a driver texting while steering a car, because it is a distraction, we should be aware what happens around us and use common sense. The point is not what you are listening to – for all we know you could be listening to the mating call of bull frogs or whitew noise – but that you are impairing one of you senses when wearing headphones on a bike. Hearing is right next after seeing when riding a bike. In my opinion.
I understand where you’re
I understand where you’re coming from, but will respectfully disagree that it is necessary for us to be ambassadors in this sense. Respect is earned by good behaviour on the road; if other traffic feels I am not safe or in some way worthy simply because there are cords dangling from my ears, it is not my duty to indulge their prejudice.
Music, or the mating call of bull frogs for that matter, is not a distraction (though I may stand corrected on the latter). It concentrates the mind, in my opinion. I know this is counterintuitive; this is the territory I often inhabit.
There are many other points I could make, but I’ve already made them here, and here, and here.
Ok, first things first. The
Ok, first things first. The mating call: http://youtu.be/etHbbL7Z3Aw?t=20s
Secondly, the example of concentrating better when listening to music, again, is flawed. I used to ride BMX and admittingly listened to music whilst doing so – and yes, it helped my riding (a little [I think]). However, that was not in traffic but in dedicated areas such as Skateparks. A far less lethal environment, given you dont have to fear a 40 ton lorry will push you off the road.
My whole point is not that I dont agree that music might help you concentrate, after all, thats why the surgeon probably listens to some tunes when removing an apendix or what not, but that it impairs your second most important sense whilst operating a vehicle in traffic.
And yes, we do all need to be an ambassador for good behaviour! We cannot rely on everyone else doing the first step. Be the change (bah bah) you want to see in the world. It has nothing to do with prejudice, but with setting an example. The same way I dont jaywalk when little children stand next to me at the red lights, or the same way I dont jump red lights eventhough I just want to do a left turn.
And if all else fails, and my argument and points fail to make you see what I mean, surely this will give you the notch in the right direction: http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/#62 😉
‘ I ask myself “would I wear
‘ I ask myself “would I wear earphones knowing that everybody wants to kill me?”. The answer of course is “no way”.’
This makes no sense whatsoever. If everyone wants to kill you, perhaps a bulletproof vest might help. Headphones will make no difference at all.
Everyone seems to have made
Everyone seems to have made up their mind already, so at the risk of wasting mine and everyone else’s time, my tuppence worth would be…
I have ridden an urban commute for years, always with the ipod on, the incidents and near misses I’ve had are pretty much always in front of me so I don’t see how removing my headphones would have helped. Also even with in ear buds, I can still hear what’s going on. In fact I’d leave ear plugs in without music to reduce the traffic noise to a comfortable level.
I really enjoy the audio I listen to while riding, it makes my commute enjoyable, without it I would struggle to motivate to ride to work year round.
Good evening, bici1977.
“Ok,
Good evening, bici1977.
“Ok, first things first. The mating call: http://youtu.be/etHbbL7Z3Aw?t=20s”
I’ve been wearing earphones while cycling in traffic – the only place I ride – since the 90s, and others have probably been doing it since Walkman days. Your opinion about the importance of hearing (setting aside that I can in fact still hear the outside world – just not with the fidelity you are insisting upon) isn’t going to change my mind; nor would I expect to alter the way you or anybody else rides. I only ask that people who think it’s dangerous examine why they think this, rather than stick their fingers in their ears and go lalala I can’t hear you {because hearing is so important}. Not to point fingers, by the way.
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
I am the change I want to see: a happy, confident cyclist who tries to be considerate to other road users. The change I’d like to see in this case is for people not to get distracted by non-issues when discussing cyclist safety; recall that Boris Johnson tried this on last year.
“And if all else fails, and my argument and points fail to make you see what I mean, surely this will give you the notch in the right direction: [The Rules]”
I prefer these rules, thanks.