Cyclists wearing big Headphones. Safe or Not?

Canis Lupus

pickarooney wrote: »

I'm not sure what good it does me being able to hear a car coming behind me. I don't cycle any differently based on what's following me.

Sure you can't hear all those crazy motorists trying to run you over. And if like most people you do the majority of your cycling during rush hour and you're going faster than the cars then it's even more dangerous.... or something... for some reason.... I don't think I'm arguing this very well.

dub_skav

gandalf wrote: »

Kellys corner was configured quite differently 20+ years ago when I was cycling than it is now.

I know how it was configured, I was cycling around their then too. It was a major junction in a busy city centre, so my point stands, you needed to see what everyone was doing

gandalf

Darkglasses wrote: »

Or to put it more simply, I'd rather have a crash on a bike than in a car.

But between a bike and a car I would much prefer to be sitting in a car myself (obvious I would be devastated if I ever did hit someone!)

On fatalities in cars I would say that has to be with the speed that the accident occurs at.

This year 8 of the 9 fatalities on bicycles recorded up the 31st of July occurred because of collision with motorised vehicles.

http://www.rsa.ie/Documents/Road%20Safety/Crash%20Stats/Provisional_Review_of_Road_Fatalities_July_31st.pdf

Again given how more vulnerable you are on a bicycle I would consider it reckless to diminish one of your key senses.

gandalf

dub_skav wrote: »

I know how it was configured, I was cycling around their then too. It was a major junction in a busy city centre, so my point stands, you needed to see what everyone was doing

Given I wasn't blessed with 360 degree vision I was glad that I heard a car coming from behind me at speed :rolleyes:

dub_skav

gandalf wrote: »

Given I wasn't blessed with 360 degree vision I was glad that I heard a car coming from behind me at speed :rolleyes:

Side swiped by a car coming from behind while approaching a busy junction
:rolleyes: indeed

Synode

I've been wearing headphones while cycling for the last 4 years and I've had no problems whatsoever. You can still hear the outside world, just not as loud.

kylith

How can you tell the difference between a car coming up behind you that will hit you and a car coming up behind you that will overtake you by sound alone?

Generic Dreadhead

Seems like a lot of people don't actually understand how their ears actually work and that they don't just hear a sound at a certain DB level and thats that

Darkglasses

kylith wrote: »

How can you tell the difference between a car coming up behind you that will hit you and a car coming up behind you that will overtake you by sound alone?

By how close it gets and whether it's continuing in a straight line or moving out? It's hard to tell until it gets close, but there is time for evasive action.

danrua01

youtube.com/watch?v=nySs1cEq5rs

pickarooney

Darkglasses wrote: »

By how close it gets and whether it's continuing in a straight line or moving out? It's hard to tell until it gets close, but there is time for evasive action.

How do you avoid a car intent on hitting you from behind?

reg114

Safer than having the radio on in a car with all the windows up and aircon on full blast.

rubadub

gandalf wrote: »

An example, you are happily cycling along the road listening to your favourite band on your headphones. You swerve out a bit to avoid a pothole. Unfortunately you didn't hear the car accelerating rapidly behind you and are swiped off your bike and into the path and seriously injured.

If you hadn't impeded your hearing you would have been aware because of the sound of the revving engine that a car was approaching at speed and you would have slowed down not swerving out on the road to avoid the pothole.

Just like helmets there are 2 sides to the earphones though I would say the well established "no helmet is safer" argument is stronger than a "wearing earphones argument is safer" argument.

I wear earphones about 20-30% of the time when cycling. As I am unable to hear if I come up to your hypothetical pothole I am far more likely to check behind me visually. Without them I might trust my hearing and pull out infront of some new style of unsually quite vehicle. This is similar to the argument about helmets giving people a false sense of security -on a bike or hurling, or shin pads playing football.

It also dulls the sound a bit, which can be an advantage, there are loads of people out there illegally using car horns which has often startled me so much that I would judder & swerve on a bike. This happens if I am driving too. I would be startled if it was legally used too of course, just making the point it is not rare since so much illegal usage goes on.

Alanstrainor

I've cycled 2,700km through Dublin city center since Feb. And I would say wearing headphones (expecially big headphones) is not safe.

Being able to hear what's going on around you is obviously very important. An example from yesterday, and ambulance was coming up from behind me in heavy traffic, and overtaking cars stopped in traffic. Which means, naturally, that those case on the left caught in traffic start moving to the side of the road (into the cycle lane). Had I not been aware of the siren, and slowed down accordingly it could have got messy.

Being aware of cars who are just out of sight behind you, potentially considering an overtake is also important. Often motorists misjudge how close they can/should pass and hearing them come up behind you allows you to take a defensive position on the road if needs be; or if there is space move in further to the left, then do so.

Get In There wrote: »

That's a fact so you say? Please do back your claim up with solid statistics and research.

Yours,
A Deaf cyclist & motorist.

As has been said, you having been deaf for quite some time(I would assume...) would have a better sense of the world with just vision as your primary input. Taking away a critical sense out of choice is hardly justifiable by saying, "well deaf people seem fine with it".

pickarooney wrote: »

I'm not sure what good it does me being able to hear a car coming behind me. I don't cycle any differently based on what's following me.

kylith wrote: »

How can you tell the difference between a car coming up behind you that will hit you and a car coming up behind you that will overtake you by sound alone?

As I alluded to already, you would be surprised what you can take from the sound of a car approaching from the rear. I can perceive the speed of approach, and also the closeness of the vehicle just out of site to my rear. Both important factors. It's not so much me deciding that this driver is going to hit me, it is more determining if this driver is too close, or perhaps acting in an aggressive manner. How you deal with such situations varies, but knowing about them as early as possible is advantageous.

Cyclists are ultimately more vulnerable than cars, and dare I say motorcyclists also. Taking away hearing is not safe.

Badly Drunk Boy

Cormac... wrote: »

Seems like a lot of people don't actually understand how their ears actually work and that they don't just hear a sound at a certain DB level and thats that

I've no problem wearing earphones (the in-ear type) while cycling. You can still hear the traffic around you (as well as seeing and even just sensing it).

One of the few dodgy incidents I had on my bike was probably caused because I didn't have my headphones on. It was over 10 years ago, and I was leaving work on the day of the Christmas holidays. As I was leaving the industrial estate, all of the cars, also leaving, were beeping their horns because 'twas the season to be jolly. The noise was so distracting and off-putting that I nearly cycled into the path of an oncoming car on the main road.

I'm fairly sure that if I had some familiar music playing, I wouldn't have been as distracted. I'm sure the anti-headphone/anti-bike people will say that the headphones would only have added to the noise I was hearing, but they'd be wrong.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Canis Lupus wrote: »

So not wearing headphones saves you turning your head fractionally. Got it



I cycle, drive a car and ride a motorbike and I say it's safe. Pretty sure I have you trumped.

I drive a truck, minibus, various other army vehicles, a motorbike with an exhaust which would waken the dead and I cycle, I both agree with you and trump you too

I cycle and jog listening to music, the most dangerous part of my cycling is having my feet clipped into the peddles ~ now there's a little danger in heavy city traffic for ya

topper75

Love the bike. Love the music.

Would never seek to join the two though.