http://uk.news.yahoo.com/headphone-injuries-rise-001243191.html

 

The number of people suffering serious injury while wearing headphones for gadgets such as iPods has tripled in six years, according to a US study.

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No ****. I wonder how many more people are using IEMs now?

 
Quote:
The number of people suffering serious injury while wearing headphones for gadgets such as iPods has tripled in six years, according to a US study.
 
Wow, I think it takes a certain type of person to wear headphones when crossing streets or bike riding. I agree it is dangerous but many types of people can handle it while many others can't. Even with the really alert folks there is an increased level of danger but I think some people are more careful, making up for the loss of perception.
 
This is written by someone who has done sports in public streets with headphones for 30 years. 

lets see  6 years ago there were  say 1-5% of people wearing headphones on the street (proabably 1%)
nowadays theres probably a goot 15-30% if not more on any given day
and headphone related accidents have gone up by 6x ....
 
i would say its not really an issue
 
However i do love darwin award winners ... good lord scrap health and safety (in the most part) and let the idiots of the world get what they deserve.

I see all kinds of people driving their cars while listening to earbuds.  I'm assuming that it is illegal, but more importantly, just a stupid idea.

hodgjy said:

I see all kinds of people driving their cars while listening to earbuds.  I'm assuming that it is illegal, but more importantly, just a stupid idea.

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It's actually legal in many states to drive while using headphones.

Earbuds, or any other type of flow through headphones, aren't any more dangerous than listening to a car stereo. They don't block out external noise. Listening to anything at a volume that drowns out the outside world can be a bad idea while driving, but earbuds are not inherently more dangerous than external speakers.

What is distracting is not that sounds one would rely on to guide one's own walking or driving safely are being blocked out by earbuds or loud music, but it is probably the fact that people aren't disciplined to listen intently and still be able to pay close visual attention to their environment.  Given that, most folks also tend to default to listening to sound because its more immediately emotionally involving.  On top of that is the fact that more accidents are related to cell phone use rather than listening to one's car radio.  One has to listen more intently to language and meaning than music. 
 
If one were to talk about injuries from headphones, best to focus on the fact that hearing loss is on the rise due to the prevalent use of IEMs at unsafe listening volumes rather than worrying about going off the road and hitting a tree or walking into a lamp post.