Driving with Earphones?

[FiestaST]

Only morons wear earphones while driving.

Agreed bruv

 

[krycor]

It's stupid & Darwin Award if u can't hear anything around you, noise reduction pair or use a corded headphone. I do it but with windows open and/or soft enough to hear sirens, hooting etc. so never had issues. When I initially did it I put it too loud and never heard e.g. Emergency vehicles.

Bright side it keeps your ears warm in winter and is awesome paired with gps navigation.

 

[Nokkie]

Stupidity is all forms of ignorance,

 

[SauRoNZA]

How loud do people put these things for them not to be aware goes on around them?

I ride with ear plugs every day and on long trips I sometimes use in ear phones (that seal the wind noise away very well) for music and GPS.

I have NEVER missed a siren or someone hooting and usually spot them long before anyone else.

I think earphones have very little to do with it and personality is the culprit. If you were that inattentive at driving it would happen regardless of earphones or not.

For that matter, how do deaf people drive without drama? Because they pay attention.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Only morons wear earphones while driving.

How about just blaming it on bad driving instead of looking for a scapegoat in earphones?

You don't need to hear anything to drive well. But then you need to obviously pay more visual attention.

If you were careless and absent minded behind the wheel in the first place...the earphones change nothing.

If the volume is so loud you can't hear outside...it doesn't matter if you are wearing earphones or listening to the sound system.

Same applies if the volume is low, sound system or earphones are one and the same.

 

[_kabal_]

Wierd that I can wear inner ear head phones, and still be aware of my surroundings, and hear the outside world.

I can also wear earplugs on a bike, which are even more "noise canceling" and have heightened awareness.

 

[Rouxenator]

It should be illegal. In sports the rules of both CSA and ASA state that you are not allowed to use earphones or any other devices that interfere with your ability to hear emergency sirens.

 

[Alton Turner Blackwood]

Some people vehemently defend it, like this fella:

Its just as dangerous as you listening to a radio loud in your car .... what must they ban any form of music in all cars until you feel safe?

Take a bus then you don't have to worry about it...

@bwana, please merge http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/555575-People-driving-with-earphones-in-their-ears

 

[GreyBush]

They'd never make driving with headphones illegal, since it's a handsfree device for your cellphone... Are you guys sure this is not what you are seeing? I know the call quality is better through the headphones than using the loudspeaker.

 

[DrJohnZoidberg]

Agree with the sentiment in this thread. Stupid idea. You need to be 100% focused on driving.

Self driving cars can't come soon enough.

 

[krycor]

How loud do people put these things for them not to be aware goes on around them?

I ride with ear plugs every day and on long trips I sometimes use in ear phones (that seal the wind noise away very well) for music and GPS.

I have NEVER missed a siren or someone hooting and usually spot them long before anyone else.

I think earphones have very little to do with it and personality is the culprit. If you were that inattentive at driving it would happen regardless of earphones or not.

For that matter, how do deaf people drive without drama? Because they pay attention.

Well depends.. I find that headphones are a bit more dangerous due to the cord and in-ear noise i find means less ambient sounds. Never had issues with hearing sirens etc and if i am not moving out of the way and you hooting and flashing furiously its got little to do with that and maybe more to do with the (non emergency/traffic/fire services) driver being an a$$

 

[SauRoNZA]

Agree with the sentiment in this thread. Stupid idea. You need to be 100% focused on driving.

Self driving cars can't come soon enough.

Which is exactly why I wear ear plugs on the bike so that wind noise is reduced and I can concentrate on my riding better.

Yes there is a minor reduction in ambient noise, but then I could argue I wouldn't hear any of that anyway due to wind noise.


Using earphones does not automatically equal less focus on driving. Less focus on driving equals less focus on driving and you can't really change that if the person isn't interested.

 

[DrJohnZoidberg]

Which is exactly why I wear ear plugs on the bike so that wind noise is reduced and I can concentrate on my riding better.

Yes there is a minor reduction in ambient noise, but then I could argue I wouldn't hear any of that anyway due to wind noise.


Using earphones does not automatically equal less focus on driving. Less focus on driving equals less focus on driving and you can't really change that if the person isn't interested.

I thought we were talking about cars.

 

[LizGroen]

For that matter, how do deaf people drive...

I would also like to know

 

[Rouxenator]

Same way the blind does.

 

[SauRoNZA]

I thought we were talking about cars.

We are.

And I'm trying to illustrate to you how it should make absolutely no difference at all to the ability of someone's focus...if they want to focus. And if they don't want to focus how it will also not improve the situation with or without earphones.

On the contrary I'm trying to provide evidence that it IMPROVES my focus by using motorcycling as an example. I don't ever do it in the car because it has a great sound system, but I don't see how it would be any different if I did.

Sounds system and earphones equal one and the same thing. Unless you put it so loudly that it increases your kidney function...in which case you have bigger problems...like being retarded.

 

[LizGroen]

Same way the blind does.

Except for deaf people can obtain drivers licenses - blind people not so much.

 

[SauRoNZA]

I think this is another one of those lovely cases where people are making massive assumption based on their own experience or complete lack there of, with absolutely no statistical analysis or research done on the matter.

Note that I agree completely that playing your tunes at top volume is distracting to driving...this is however the same for any volume producing source.

I also at the same time think drinking, eating, smoking, reading the newspaper, ****ing around with your iPad etc are all as distracting or even more so.

Nothing at all leads me to believe that simply having earphones/headphones on your person automatically makes you a distracted driver and that is the point I am arguing.