Drivers wearing headphones...

Tea 1000

blindsider wrote: »

People driving and listening to music etc on 2 headphones are dangerous. Had the scary experience of a guy totally caught up in his music last week - went straight through a red - thankfully he spotted the artic! He pulled in to the same car-park as me and I could see the 'cans'.

Using one earphone for a conversation is okay, you still have one ear open for traffic/sirens etc.

Surely this is prosecutable for 'driving without due care and attention' and if sth is witnessed by Gardai then it's 'reckless' isn't it?

If you can't hear traffic esp. sirens etc then you're a danger to yourself and others. Why would you deliberately block off one of the most useful tools you have while driving?

@OSI - good on you for being so diligent!

If you only rely on your hearing for sirens and can't see a big yellow van with blue flashing lights then you should be banned.
What about deaf people? Loud music? If you're aware you're aware, if you're not then you're not.

Tea 1000

smcelhinney wrote: »

100% agree. And only because of my own stupidity. I had headphones on, pulling out of Booterstown car park, drove over an island, tore my entire sill panel asunder, and cost myself nearly €2000 worth of damage.

Expensive lesson, but one well learnt.

How'd you manage that?

Tea 1000

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Plus it should be banned for cyclist too.

Completely agree with that.

kirving

Why should they be banned?

Driving without due care and attention is the offence afaik, but I can't see where you'd draw the line between earphones and a loud radio, a well insulated S-Class vs. a Seicento, or a deaf person, what about noise cancelling earphones vs. crappy €5 ones.

It's stupid to ban something without looking at every angle.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

agree they shouldn't be allowed.

when I'm driving I can spot an ambulance a mile up the road before anyone... I even say it to passengers in my car and they turn their heads around looking and see it all the way up the top of the road behind me.

I watch it coming down and I begin to move out of the way in advance and what happens ?

Muppets try overtake me....... seriously.

only when the ambulance is right behind them blaring the blue noise that they move.

so if Muppets aren't gonna check their mirrors then they shouldn't have earphones.

when I can and not freezing my arsenal off I drive with one window open a small bit as to hear better of what's outside

pajo1981

Can't believe this is not already an offence

To the lads comparing headphones to a 'well insulted car', get a clue!

roroliam

just ban golf drivers.

pajo1981

roroliam wrote: »

just ban golf drivers.

Or Dr Dre gear. Apparently he's doin stereos for high-end cars now.

Who'd have thought the guy in Niggaz4Life would end up tuning audio systems for Audi!

Remmy

I've had a few bad scares using headphones just when on a bicycle. I can't imagine how much that the same danger levels would be amplified(:pac:) if I used them when driving.

Its driving without due care and attention but would be difficult to prove that the earphones were so loud as to block out road sounds (unless he had an accident, which would be the proof)!

kirving

DrDonkey wrote: »

(unless he had an accident, which would be the proof)!

That still doesn't prove that the headphones contributed to the cause of the accident.

magnavox

Was changing lanes once where there was a taxi in my blindspot. I was totally in the wrong and was only saved by the fact I barely heard his beeping as I was pulling over. Having headphones on not a chance would I have avoided a collision. Very dangerous to wear them imo.


And as for those on bikes wearing them they must be crazy, impossible to tell if you have a car one foot behind you. Tried it once and it terrified me.