Should it be illegal to cycle while wearing headphones? On the spot fine?

What next.....ban those who are deaf/hard of hearing from cycling?

.....those who are old, those who don't have 4 limbs etc.

Deedsie wrote: »

Well a motorist has mirrors and an almost 360 view of the area surrounding his or her car... A cyclist doesn't..

A cyclist has much better visual awareness of what going on around their bike than any motorist. All vehicle have blind spots and those with no side or rear windows, such as trucks and vans, will have excessive blind areas.

...and mirrors are only effective if actually used properly.

Deedsie wrote: »

Well a motorist has mirrors and an almost 360 view of the area surrounding his or her car... A cyclist doesn't...

Regardless, my position on motorists being focused 100% on safely getting from A to B is the same as for cyclists. Using mobiles etc

It's a bit of a strange argument to point at the wrong doings of motorists to justify the wrong doings of cyclists

What's wrong with driving with the stereo on, chatting to passengers?

I listen to the radio on my earphones all the time when cycling. I can hear all going on around me. It's a different thing blocking out your surroundings listening to, say, thrash or techno. But ultimately the criterion is whether you are paying due attention, whether you're a pedestrian, cyclist or driver. IMO it's pure nonsense to restrict any of these classes from listening to media when on the public highway.

I understand the point if somebody is zoned out to the point of not paying attention, but I listen to music when I'm cycling and am always hyper-aware of my surroundings. You kind of have to be in Dublin city centre!

A fine? Probably not. I'd rather see them police the one thing that bugs most motorists which is cyclists breaking lights constantly. I still can't believe how many do this every day of the week.

However do I think it's safe? Absolutely not. Pure stupidity imo. It's hard enough to stay safe on a bike these days without having a headphone in your ear.

I was out earlier for a 30k approx spin on the bike. I was nearly clipped by a van who was too impatient to delay passing me until the car on the other side of the road went by and also passed very unsafely by a tractor and large trailer on a country road. I was doin about 30km on said road, he flew by me. God knows what speed he was doing.

As both a cyclist and a motorist I just think people need to think before they act and that's both cyclists and motorists. We share the road. Stay safe all.

Edit... Lastly I just saw someone say above its nice to be in your own thoughts on a cycle. I couldn't agree more. The beautiful countryside etc is more than enough for me

I agree with the OP, headphones on cyclists should be banned. For exactly the same reason, of course, we should also remove all in vehicle audio - radios, CD players since it's been shown that audio devices in cars reduce hearing more than cyclists headphones. Obviously this needs to be a dual approach law with the other half being mandatory full face helmets for cyclists and all drivers given the high risk of head injuries to both types of road users in accidents.

Alternatively, a bit of cop on and tolerance for others from everyone using the road and we'll all be safer without needing to don kevlar every time we step out the front door.

bigar wrote: »

Well, that did not take long :rolleyes:

It's true though. What's the point in bringing in new fines if we can't police the most obvious of all?

Roll eyes all ya like but personally I like to be safe in my car and on my bike. Rules like not breaking lights are there for a reason, you know safety, staying alive and all that lark.

Anyway I wasn't trying to start a conversation about the lights as I know people are for and against. I was just saying although it's probably a good idea to put a fine on the use of earphones for everyone's safety I don't see the point as we don't police the laws we already have.

Motorists are just as bad. I saw several people on their phones driving earlier.

A seriously under policed country really.

You can't leave cyclists alone with their thoughts for extended periods of time. They're barely sane as it is.

I always listen to podcasts while cycling. Best of both worlds. Not as loud as music so You can hear around you and have your mind occupied while cycling. I don't enjoy cycling alone without headphones. I use the time on the bike to catch up on the news and sports I miss during the week. If out with friends or on a sportive I don't use headphones tho. I can honestly say I wouldn't go out as much if I couldn't listen to my podcasts.

Jawgap wrote: »

Why?

I see people walking and driving with headphones in so why should it illegal on a bike? And what about motorcyclists with their helmets - don't they impair hearing?

I don't use headphones but when I'm out for a spin with a group I'm probably more distracted than I'd ever be with headphones on.

People in cars shouldn't be driving whilst wearing headphones its ludicrous. Nobody in charge of any vehicle should be listening to music through headphones. Motorcycle helmets are designed so your hearing is impeded as little as possible.