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Bus Driver with Ear Phones in

  • 09-07-2013 9:20am
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 916 ✭✭✭


    While I don't think it is illegal to to drive with earphones in yet, I was slightly taken a back to see my bus driver wearing them yesterday evening. When boarding the bus and stating my fair he had to remove one of the earphones to hear what I was saying. When I was getting off the bus he was doing an impression of Stevie Wonder with his head rolling all over the place!

    As someone who walks in and out of work most days I am aware how earphone can distract you, or wrap you up in your own little reality and make you completely oblivious to your surroundings. I had a wake up call myself, to the extent that I only wear one earphone while walking now.

    Is this something that I should comment on to the driver or am I over reacting?
    I would have no problem pulling him up on it if I thought it was illegal, but as it doesn't appear to be I'm in a bit of moral limbo.

    Anyone have any thoughts?


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,854 ✭✭✭rx8


    Dublin Bus have banned their drivers from using ear-pieces, headphones and even blue-tooth devices.

    Most have now stopped using them and some have bought a radio, if they want to listen to some music. The company can't really do anything about it unless an inspector actually boards the bus and catches the driver using it.

    If you think that your safety has been compromised by the fact that the driver isn't fully concentrating on the road, then you should say something to him, and if you then feel that you need to, you can contact Dublin Bus directly.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 310 ✭✭doubletrouble?


    whatnext wrote: »
    While I don't think it is illegal to to drive with earphones in yet, I was slightly taken a back to see my bus driver wearing them yesterday evening. When boarding the bus and stating my fair he had to remove one of the earphones to hear what I was saying. When I was getting off the bus he was doing an impression of Stevie Wonder with his head rolling all over the place!

    As someone who walks in and out of work most days I am aware how earphone can distract you, or wrap you up in your own little reality and make you completely oblivious to your surroundings. I had a wake up call myself, to the extent that I only wear one earphone while walking now.

    Is this something that I should comment on to the driver or am I over reacting?
    I would have no problem pulling him up on it if I thought it was illegal, but as it doesn't appear to be I'm in a bit of moral limbo.

    Anyone have any thoughts?
    just out of curiosity, can you state if it was dublinbus ,bus eireann or another company. as rx stated dublin bus drivers are not supposed to use ear phones but you dont say which company it was.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 916 ✭✭✭whatnext


    just out of curiosity, can you state if it was dublinbus ,bus eireann or another company. as rx stated dublin bus drivers are not supposed to use ear phones but you dont say which company it was.

    It was Dublin Bus.

    If I see it happen again I'll tackle the driver on it, I'm not going to get involved in a complaints process, as I did that with a Garda many years ago and I can honestly say it was the biggest mistake I have made in my life to date. To put that into perspective I bought my flat in 2007 and also bought Anglo shares and regard those as lesser mistakes............


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 916 ✭✭✭whatnext


    Same driver this evening. No earphones


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 10,562 ✭✭✭✭Sunnyisland


    He probably a boardsie...


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,371 ✭✭✭Phoebas


    realies wrote: »
    He probably a boardsie...
    ... the system works!


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,693 CMod ✭✭✭✭Sad Professor


    Pfft! I've seen Dublin Bus drivers cutting their nails while driving at speed.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,005 ✭✭✭✭AlekSmart


    Pfft! I've seen Dublin Bus drivers cutting their nails while driving at speed.

    Don't be exaggerating...it was only ONE toenail ! :)


    Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one.

    Charles Mackay (1812-1889)



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,310 ✭✭✭✭Grandeeod


    whatnext wrote: »
    I'm not going to get involved in a complaints process, as I did that with a Garda many years ago and I can honestly say it was the biggest mistake I have made in my life to date. To put that into perspective I bought my flat in 2007 and also bought Anglo shares and regard those as lesser mistakes............

    OT...But woah!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    Op you should report the driver as using any type of phone or music headphones while driving is against the company rules as well as a distraction and dangerous.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 455 ✭✭Tickityboo


    foggy_lad wrote: »
    Op you should report the driver as using any type of phone or music headphones while driving is against the company rules as well as a distraction and dangerous.

    And don't forget to tell his mammy too!!.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 8,601 CMod ✭✭✭✭Sierra Oscar


    foggy_lad wrote: »
    Op you should report the driver as using any type of phone or music headphones while driving is against the company rules as well as a distraction and dangerous.

    Why not try having a word with the driver first off?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 736 ✭✭✭Tarabuses


    Why not try having a word with the driver first off?

    I generally find that people who are doing what they shouildn't be doing do not take kindly to being told not to do it. :confused:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    Why not try having a word with the driver first off?

    Because those who are using headphones, reading the paper/a book, chatting to work colleagues or on mobile phones while driving usually feel some level of entitlement to flout their company's rules and indeed the rules of the road so they will hardly have time for a lowly passenger telling them off.


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 23,279 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    Better to note the bus, route and time and report it to DB.

    They can check CCTV on the bus to confirm.

    I'm sure in this case they would come down very hard on a driver for doing this and rightfully so.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 310 ✭✭doubletrouble?


    firstly o.p. dont approach the driver about using head phones. it's up to a supervisor or manager to deal with that and as pointed out by someone else. he wouldn't take to kindly to a passenger telling him what to do.
    what i'm about to say next is not an attack on the o.p. but simply pointing something out to everyone that uses buses.
    welcome to our world.
    o.p. you found it rude, arrogant and everything else that goes with it.
    everyday we have to contend with that likes of what you saw from the driver. only thing is it's reversed. we get dozens of passengers getting on throwing in money using portable devices completely oblivious to whats going on around them including us. yaking on their mobiles as if the driver isn't even there.
    foggy
    it's a minority of drivers that flout the ear phone rule. but it's the majority of passengers that flout dublin bus by -laws ;)
    if we were to enforce the by-laws as they are, you'd need a hell of alot mods on here. fact is we dont.
    by laws include using portable devices,consuming food and drink. the list is endless.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,670 ✭✭✭Peppa Pig


    we get dozens of passengers getting on throwing in money using portable devices completely oblivious to whats going on around them including us. yaking on their mobiles as if the driver isn't even there.
    it's a minority of drivers that flout the ear phone rule. but it's the majority of passengers that flout dublin bus by -laws ;)
    I love to see you back that statement up about the majority of passengers flouting the DB bye laws.
    No person while on the vehicle shall sing, perform on any musical or other instruments or use any audible radio, television, record player, tape recorder or portable apparatus.
    Link
    It's not against DB bye laws for a passenger to use earphones, never mind the fact that they are not actually driving the bus.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 916 ✭✭✭whatnext


    Hi the only reason I mentioned it was because I know the impact earphones have on my concentration.
    I was going to say something to the driver at the time, but didn't.
    I appreciate also the points made by doubletrouble? but I am not one of those you refer to. And having watched that program on the LUAS the other night I have a lot of sympathy for what drivers must have to endure.

    Anyway as I said earlier, I was on the bus yesterday with the same driver and he had no earphones so issue is over as far as I am concerned.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 741 ✭✭✭therewillbe


    I loved Driving for BAC for 20 odd years.We only had radios back then and it was always illegal to use them in regards to the Broadcasting act.You needed a licence as it was being heard by others so that was a commercial thing:confused:.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 193 ✭✭cbl593h


    If it was Aircoach it would be P45 time.

    Harsh but fair.

    http://www.firstgroup.com/latest_news/?id=000075


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  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,744 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull




  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 15,721 Mod ✭✭✭✭dfx-


    bk wrote: »
    Better to note the bus, route and time and report it to DB.

    They can check CCTV on the bus to confirm.

    I'm sure in this case they would come down very hard on a driver for doing this and rightfully so.

    As far as I was aware, the onboard CCTV can't be used against the driver though.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,591 ✭✭✭RATM


    bk wrote: »
    Better to note the bus, route and time and report it to DB.

    They can check CCTV on the bus to confirm.

    I'm sure in this case they would come down very hard on a driver for doing this and rightfully so.
    cbl593h wrote: »
    If it was Aircoach it would be P45 time.

    Harsh but fair.

    http://www.firstgroup.com/latest_news/?id=000075

    It begs the question as to what is "coming down very hard" on a driver for flouting the rules. In the private sector you'd be lucky to still have a job but with CIE it'd be a slap on the wrist, provided the unions give the okay to do so.

    I really pity the hard working decent Dublin Bus drivers out there as there is a growing minority of drivers who make them look bad and which then ensures some of the public treat all bus drivers with contempt as a result. It is a vicious circle but the behavior of a minority and how they treat the public like they are an inconvenience has given them all a bad label.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,982 ✭✭✭Polar101


    RATM wrote: »
    In the private sector you'd be lucky to still have a job but with CIE it'd be a slap on the wrist, provided the unions give the okay to do so.

    I work in the private sector and I wouldn't expect to get sacked for an offense like that. Talked to/warned, yes - but surely a lot of this talk is an overreaction? At least I wouldn't want to live in a society where people get sacked because an unhappy customer reported them (depending on what actually happened, of course). Even if they worked in the public sector.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,525 ✭✭✭miller50841


    Seriously ear phones and a Thread about it and most saying how bad it is....

    Dublin Bus drivers are among the most trained drivers on the road so really find a lot that is been said harsh.

    I see people in their cars doing their hair, makeup, shave, read books/maps/files, drink coffee, eat, use phones(text, facebook, talk) etc etc and also people who really aren't aware of what is actually is going on outside their cage too busy in full conversation with the hand movements while chatting away with their passengers in the car.

    Yes it's in the bye laws for the company but that in itself is so outdated.

    A day for the people that always find a way of having a go at Dublin Bus staff would be better if they actually done their own thing and behaved in the correct manner. A driver like most other workers want to go to work have a good day and go home not be watched and spoken down to and abused as I have seen happen on a few occasions.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,990 ✭✭✭Darksaga87


    whatnext wrote: »
    It was Dublin Bus.

    If I see it happen again I'll tackle the driver on it, I'm not going to get involved in a complaints process, as I did that with a Garda many years ago and I can honestly say it was the biggest mistake I have made in my life to date. To put that into perspective I bought my flat in 2007 and also bought Anglo shares and regard those as lesser mistakes............


    Story time? :D


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,224 ✭✭✭Going Forward


    Could argue that tour drivers with microphones on headsets giving the old blarney to the yanks are not giving their full attention to driving either.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 471 ✭✭The_Wrecker


    Could argue that tour drivers with microphones on headsets giving the old blarney to the yanks are not giving their full attention to driving either.

    Too true.... A 1.2m cable from the drivers neck to the upper bulkhead.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 202 ✭✭stephen97


    If you think that your safety has been compromised by the fact that the driver isn't fully concentrating on the road, then you should say something to him, and if you then feel that you need to, you can contact Dublin Bus directly.[/QUOTE]

    dublin bus customer care is worse than 02
    i know comparing buses to phones is like apples and oranges but
    they will give you the run around


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,525 ✭✭✭miller50841


    stephen97 wrote: »
    If you think that your safety has been compromised by the fact that the driver isn't fully concentrating on the road, then you should say something to him, and if you then feel that you need to, you can contact Dublin Bus directly.

    dublin bus customer care is worse than 02
    i know comparing buses to phones is like apples and oranges but
    they will give you the run around[/QUOTE]

    This has been said so many times already.

    I think now at this stage everyone knows how to complain about Dublin Bus and it's drivers they never seem to stop from what I see.

    How is having ear phones in dangerous the only reason it's in the bye laws is so that the driver can hear the passenger.

    Other road users including cyclists use them which is illegal for cyclists as they cant hear whats going on around them.

    The OP said they said their fare so at this point he wasn't even moving so really don't get what this thread is all about.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 202 ✭✭stephen97


    fare or fair, i just didn't understand the bad grammar and bad use of english


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,525 ✭✭✭miller50841


    stephen97 wrote: »
    fare or fair, i just didn't understand the bad grammar and bad use of english


    Fare means the price you pay to travel not sure if your having a pop at me there but that is uncalled for if you are.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 202 ✭✭stephen97


    Fare means the price you pay to travel not sure if your having a pop at me there but that is uncalled for if you are.
    no not at all, its just i was wondering if you meant a paying fare or something else?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,525 ✭✭✭miller50841


    stephen97 wrote: »
    no not at all, its just i was wondering if you meant a paying fare or something else?


    No worries:D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,859 ✭✭✭bmaxi


    When radio control on Dublin's buses was first mooted, one of the objections was that it could be distracting to the driver. :)
    I'd imagine earphones could a safety issue if they isolate the driver from his surroundings, i.e. if he can't hear bells, horns, emergency vehicles etc.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 706 ✭✭✭the boss of me


    bmaxi wrote: »
    I'd imagine earphones could a safety issue if they isolate the driver from his surroundings, i.e. if he can't hear bells, horns, emergency vehicles etc.

    Well if you beleive that then surely logic would suggest that deaf people should not be allowed drive ?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,499 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    Well if you beleive that then surely logic would suggest that deaf people should not be allowed drive ?
    It's got less to do with not being able to hear external noises, although that certainly does play a role, and more to do with the way listening to anything through earphones decreases your concentration on what is happening around you in a way that listening to the same content via speakers doesn't. I'm sure I've read studies that confirm that, but you only have to watch the way pedestrians wearing headphones on the street interact (or rather don't) with those around them to know it's a bad idea. Anyway, deaf people are a different case, as they're fully aware of their disability, and overcompensate using their other senses to make up for their lack of hearing.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,859 ✭✭✭bmaxi


    Well if you beleive that then surely logic would suggest that deaf people should not be allowed drive ?

    Not necessarily the same thing. Like most people with disabilities, deaf people if they don't wear a hearing aid, will compensate by heightening other senses. Driving with earphones in is more a substitution of what you should be listening for and IMO, because of the concentrated nature of the sound would tend to make you less aware of your surroundings.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 706 ✭✭✭the boss of me


    bmaxi wrote: »
    Not necessarily the same thing. Like most people with disabilities, deaf people if they don't wear a hearing aid, will compensate by heightening other senses. Driving with earphones in is more a substitution of what you should be listening for and IMO, because of the concentrated nature of the sound would tend to make you less aware of your surroundings.

    Really I fail to see how a heightened sense of touch,smell or taste could compensate for deafness. As for the concentrated nature of the sound I think that's more to with the content of what you're listening to rather than the way its delivered. Personally when I'm driving I find instructions from my controller far more of a distraction than a bit of background muzak.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,859 ✭✭✭bmaxi


    Really I fail to see how a heightened sense of touch,smell or taste could compensate for deafness. As for the concentrated nature of the sound I think that's more to with the content of what you're listening to rather than the way its delivered. Personally when I'm driving I find instructions from my controller far more of a distraction than a bit of background muzak.
    It's the heightened sense of awareness that comes with disability. When you listen through earphones it's not just background music, surely that's the whole idea


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 310 ✭✭doubletrouble?


    right lets be realistic here.
    the o.p. is correct in that the driver isn't supposed to be wearing an ear piece. the only people that can deal with that is either management or inspectors.
    the boss of me is correct in that dealing with someone over the radio i.e. a controller can also be a huge distraction. hence the reason why some drivers dont reply till they're either stopped or reach their terminus.
    now the o.p. is annoyed that the driver was wearing earphones and rightly so. in other words the o.p. wasn't getting the full attention of the driver. so is the thread a one sided one.
    where it's alright for passengers to be yaking on their mobiles and not paying attention to the driver???????? but yet when the driver is supposedly wearing ear phones most of you are calling for their head.
    most places that deal with customers now have signs along the lines of " please refrain from using mobiles when dealing with members of staff" i know all the banks have this type of sign and these signs are getting more and more common.
    whats good for the goose is also good for the gander :D.
    i mentioned by laws in an earlier post and while it was rightly pointed out about using mobiles not being but i did mention the most passengers tend to break the by laws heres a few from the link.
    http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/About-Us/Dublin-Bus-Bye-Laws/Passenger-Behaviour/
    "No passenger who, in the opinion of an authorised person, is in a state of intoxication or otherwise in an unfit or improper condition shall board or remain on the vehicle."
    god knows the amount of drunks we have to put up with during the weekend nights esp. yet we dont enforce this unless the person is a danger to themselves.

    " No person shall throw or deposit any litter, lighted match, cigarette, cigar, cheroot, chewing gum or other substance on the vehicle except into a receptacle expressly provided for that purpose."
    wowwwwwwwwww. what do we have here is it the word "litter"????
    someone on another thread asked is the driver supposed to clean the bus.
    well if the by law wasn't broken then there is no need to clean the bus. but hey thats why we have cleaners working round the clock.

    now to my favourite. taaa daaaa.

    "No person shall consume alcoholic drinks or other beverages or food while on the vehicle. "
    please note the words
    alcoholic drinks
    ENOUGH SAID :rolleyes::rolleyes:
    food
    you know that snack your dying for and open the wrapper and start munching on the bus. well it's a no no
    ohhhhhh ,hmmmmm ahhhhhh the sweet smell of mcdonalds.
    guess what. NO NO.
    and
    other beverages.
    yes folks other beverages, you know that travel mug you use in the mornings well it's a no no, you know that nice cold bottle of water your drinking on the bus in the searing heat , or that nice cold crisp bottle of sprite. well they're all a no no.
    bet yas didn't know those ones.
    but heyyy do we enforce them.the only one thats mainly enforced is the alcoholic drinks, everything else we tend to turn a blind eye to.
    buttt if you people want the rules enforced i've absolutely no problem in enforcing the drinks and food by law. these are the by laws i was on about where passengers tend to break .
    swings and roundabouts folks, swings and roundabouts.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    But after all that is said we are just passengers and not tasked with driving a vehicle with 90+ passengers on board. The driver on the other hand must adhere to the rules of the road as well as the company's own rules.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,859 ✭✭✭bmaxi


    right lets be realistic here.
    the o.p. is correct in that the driver isn't supposed to be wearing an ear piece. the only people that can deal with that is either management or inspectors.
    the boss of me is correct in that dealing with someone over the radio i.e. a controller can also be a huge distraction. hence the reason why some drivers dont reply till they're either stopped or reach their terminus.
    now the o.p. is annoyed that the driver was wearing earphones and rightly so. in other words the o.p. wasn't getting the full attention of the driver. so is the thread a one sided one.
    where it's alright for passengers to be yaking on their mobiles and not paying attention to the driver???????? but yet when the driver is supposedly wearing ear phones most of you are calling for their head.
    most places that deal with customers now have signs along the lines of " please refrain from using mobiles when dealing with members of staff" i know all the banks have this type of sign and these signs are getting more and more common.
    whats good for the goose is also good for the gander :D.
    i mentioned by laws in an earlier post and while it was rightly pointed out about using mobiles not being but i did mention the most passengers tend to break the by laws heres a few from the link.
    http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/About-Us/Dublin-Bus-Bye-Laws/Passenger-Behaviour/
    "No passenger who, in the opinion of an authorised person, is in a state of intoxication or otherwise in an unfit or improper condition shall board or remain on the vehicle."
    god knows the amount of drunks we have to put up with during the weekend nights esp. yet we dont enforce this unless the person is a danger to themselves.

    " No person shall throw or deposit any litter, lighted match, cigarette, cigar, cheroot, chewing gum or other substance on the vehicle except into a receptacle expressly provided for that purpose."
    wowwwwwwwwww. what do we have here is it the word "litter"????
    someone on another thread asked is the driver supposed to clean the bus.
    well if the by law wasn't broken then there is no need to clean the bus. but hey thats why we have cleaners working round the clock.

    now to my favourite. taaa daaaa.

    "No person shall consume alcoholic drinks or other beverages or food while on the vehicle. "
    please note the words
    alcoholic drinks
    ENOUGH SAID :rolleyes::rolleyes:
    food
    you know that snack your dying for and open the wrapper and start munching on the bus. well it's a no no
    ohhhhhh ,hmmmmm ahhhhhh the sweet smell of mcdonalds.
    guess what. NO NO.
    and
    other beverages.
    yes folks other beverages, you know that travel mug you use in the mornings well it's a no no, you know that nice cold bottle of water your drinking on the bus in the searing heat , or that nice cold crisp bottle of sprite. well they're all a no no.
    bet yas didn't know those ones.
    but heyyy do we enforce them.the only one thats mainly enforced is the alcoholic drinks, everything else we tend to turn a blind eye to.
    buttt if you people want the rules enforced i've absolutely no problem in enforcing the drinks and food by law. these are the by laws i was on about where passengers tend to break .
    swings and roundabouts folks, swings and roundabouts.

    If the rules are being broken, I'd imagine it is the duty of the company representative on the spot to address it but in saying that, I know where the conversation is going to go and rightly so. Basicly, discipline within the public service as a whole is a joke, from the top down and that applies both to observing it and to administering it .


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 202 ✭✭stephen97


    next time, take out your phone and videotape the drivers and post to youtube. dublin bus would have to take action then
    i remember i had to take the bus and one of the divers on the 27 route, he used to whistle the entire journey to his tunes on his ipod, and i really hate whistling, it just gives me a headache


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,537 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    other beverages.
    yes folks other beverages, you know that travel mug you use in the mornings well it's a no no, you know that nice cold bottle of water your drinking on the bus in the searing heat , or that nice cold crisp bottle of sprite. well

    I'd love to see them try and tell people they can't drink water on a bus, won't get far with that.
    BTW, are drivers allowed? Being dehydrated is probably worse than listening to headphones :)


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,224 ✭✭✭Going Forward


    Well if you beleive that then surely logic would suggest that deaf people should not be allowed drive ?

    A bus driver using earphones to listen to music should be sacked.

    It displays a selfish arrogance and a disregard for passengers and everyone else.

    A deaf driver presents a number of issues which should also be looked at.

    Each deaf drivers ability should be medically. judged with personal factors such as age and experience and training taken into consideration.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 706 ✭✭✭the boss of me


    A bus driver using earphones to listen to music should be sacked.

    A bit harsh for a first offense but if written warning were ignored I'd have to agree with you.
    A deaf driver presents a number of issues which should also be looked at.

    Each deaf drivers ability should be medically. judged with personal factors such as age and experience and training taken into consideration.

    This was my whole point. Surely it has been looked at by the RSA and as it's not illegal for the deaf to drive we can assume that it's not "that" dangerous. Also if it is that risky who would insure deaf drivers ?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,859 ✭✭✭bmaxi


    A bit harsh for a first offense but if written warning were ignored I'd have to agree with you.



    This was my whole point. Surely it has been looked at by the RSA and as it's not illegal for the deaf to drive we can assume that it's not "that" dangerous. Also if it is that risky who would insure deaf drivers ?
    You are not comparing apples with apples.
    On the one hand you're dealing with an absence of sound which, it has been proven, is compensated for by the sufferer with increased awareness. On the other hand you have a profusion of concentrated sound, of varying pitches and volumes, which can have a disorientating and distracting effect. It is imperative when driving a bus, that you give your full attention to the task in hand. it's not just your life.
    You only have to watch pedestrians with earphones to see how detached they appear to be from their surroundings.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,224 ✭✭✭Going Forward


    A bit harsh for a first offense but if written warning were ignored I'd have to agree with you.



    This was my whole point. Surely it has been looked at by the RSA and as it's not illegal for the deaf to drive we can assume that it's not "that" dangerous. Also if it is that risky who would insure deaf drivers ?

    Deafness would be a reason for a bus driver to fail the medical......

    I can only presume (and hope) that deaf people make some effort to compensate visually for their aural handicap whilst driving.

    But the issue is too delicate for the RSA to touch, much the same way as the whole area of obviously inept elderly drivers being allowed to continue on until the son or daughter "looses" the car keys on them.

    Which brings Gaybo to mind, he's getting a bit hardy and he's not likely to give up the driving I'd imagine..

    But a bus driver with headphones in for music is just giving the two fingers to his passengers and everyone else IMO!

    He obviously doesnt really want to be driving, thinks he's invincible and in general is a bit of a clown.

    He dont give a sh** and is a bad advertisement for any company who employs him.

    I see a fair few artic drivers looking at DVDs on laptops stuck on the dash too- they're as bad.


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