Why do people drive unnecessarily large cars?

Strange how you never asked for an example from a certain area/region.

And on that note I'll bow out because the usual thread killers have turned up now and successfully detailed the thread for long enough.

I'd say 8f you have to drive today, have a 4x4 suv with winter tyres, you'd be very thankful

Silly me for not realising that you were talking about France with your links to the Garda.ie website and your discussion of Irish leglisation.

I could certainly do with one for the next few days. Was away last night and there's not hope of makeing it to my house in a car.

Just my last thought on the topic of drivers wearing headphones - does anyone actually do this? I don't think it's a good idea, always assumed it was illegal, and it would never occur to me to do so as a driver.

Do some people actually drive wearing headphones?

So you just flat out disagree that you’d have any benefit to having your hearing cycling amongst city traffic compared to having no hearing. There’s not one single instance amongst the possible millions of combinations of possibilities of things going wrong that having hearing would benefit you as a cyclist ?

I spent 7 years cycling to school as a student cycling a 15km journey in and out of a busy regional town. Not once did I consider wearing headphones because it objectively makes the trip more dangerous. Simple as that. You’re arguing a point that I’m not even arguing against. Drivers are the most dangerous people using the roads. That’s objectively true. Wearing headphones increases your exposure to said dangerous drivers. That’s objectively true. Do what you want with it after that. To me you are arguing for something that right now just isn’t reality because the infrastructure and state of driving doesn’t allow for it. Would you rather wear headphones in a forlorn fight for equality on the road and sacrifice your safety or would you rather be some degree safer by being able to hear another aspect of the danger you may be in before you get wiped off your bike. Which is more important to you ?

You've some serious attitude problem. And I say that as a motorist and a cyclist

You mean the 99.7+% of drivers who have nothing whatsoever to do with "killing people?"

Bought my first "walkman" in the 80's for the specific purpose of listening to music while cycling to/from school and then college. Back then the headset was a band that went over your head and held the two speakers against your ears. They were crap as they simply amplified the wind noise passing by your ears. You could hear the music…just.

After a few years i "upgraded" to a walkman/radio combo which had wired in-ear earbuds. Sound was better, I could hear music (just above the sound of wind noise, car engines, truck air brakes etc.) but while I could hear the DJ's voice it was very difficult to determine what they were saying (because of the wind and traffic noise)

Today i have noise cancelling bluetooth wireless earbuds linked to my iPhone. They are Awesome! I can hear music AND spoken word. The shape of the earbuds does amplify wind noise but not as bad as the over ear type headphones. they do reduce ambient sounds, but only just. Wind and traffic noise is still the primary sound. When the roads are wet, "Tyre Roar" is almost deafening…it would be even louder if I was not wearing earbuds!

So Is it safe to cycle while listening to music? Of course it is. Its no more dangerous than listening to wind noise and traffic

Lots of people say "you need all your senses when cycling as you have to be fully aware of your surroundings". Well i disagree.. unless i'm chewing chewing gum while cycling, i don't need my sense of taste and i strongly urge anyone who cycles or drives not trust your ears/what you hear. Don't do anything unless you have LOOKED first. Don't turn right without looking behind you. Don't cross a junction unless you have LOOKED in every direction etc.

Everyone secretly wants a Canyonero

Or those who say my crime is OK, only murder should be discussed.

The law also doesnt specifically ban driving with your feet, or sitting facing the wrong way either.