[MaxwellDemon]

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well, that's why we've got bikes with louder and louder exhaust pipes, because "noise saves lives'

I'll just say that living in HK... there is almost no cars that allows noise to be leaked from the outside. Except for sirens, that's the only thing that will cut through the isolation barrier of a luxury car.

right...in a lot of asian countries, you're either extremely wealthy (able to afford luxury cars) or not well off enough to afford a car, correct me if I'm wrong

Generally. More because it is mostly not worth it to buy a car when the country is so small rather than there is no middle class, haha. Loads of middle-class people, it is just that it is far more convenient to take the subway than to buy a car. Anyway, this is why the example is intended only for Hong Kong. But I'd imagine in the later years, this technology would be made more commonly available.
 
It is just a little food for thought.

 

[smokey616]

So what I'm getting from this thread is that all the people who deem wearing headphones while driving to be completely unsafe are the same kind of people who won't listen to any music/radio/audiobooks while driving.

 

[MaxwellDemon]

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So what I'm getting from this thread is that all the people who deem wearing headphones while driving to be completely unsafe are the same kind of people who won't listen to any music/radio/audiobooks while driving.

I happen to be an in-between. Depends on volume, scenario, and context.

 

[Train]

 
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So what I'm getting from this thread is that all the people who deem wearing headphones while driving to be completely unsafe are the same kind of people who won't listen to any music/radio/audiobooks while driving.

Or talk to passengers, or deal with kids, or try for a little sightseeing, etc., etc., as these are all distractions from driving, and a 'good' driver would eliminate every possible dangerous distraction. But I guess in here, only listening to music is considered dangerous.

 

[buffalowings]

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So what I'm getting from this thread is that all the people who deem wearing headphones while driving to be completely unsafe are the same kind of people who won't listen to any music/radio/audiobooks while driving.

well, we all like to imagine we're that "perfect" driver, but honestly, who is

 

[ace5000]

 
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What proof do you have that, "The real issue is why would someone intentionally handicap
themselves, risk their own life as well as others?"
 
This sounds like a load of bull.  No body is risking anyones life or being handicapped, or else insurance companies would raise there rates,  Why do you think it  is so evil.  Have you tried driving without uncontrolled distractions?
 
Have you run any scientific tests?
Can you control your own mind?
Why do race car drivers wear ear plugs?
Why does a fire engine have flashing lights?
What makes you think the lack of sounds makes cars crash?
What is so wrong about driving listening to books on tape?

 
 
What do race car drivers and books on tape have to do with this conversation?
 
And why are you sending me this as a PM, because you don't want to be a troll on your own thread?
 
If you think that you only need a four of your five physical senses to drive then I applaud you, and am glad you are confined to an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, away from me because I would honk if if my brakes went out and I was heading for you but you wouldn't hear me and I would hate to t-bone you and your passengers.
 
Insurance companies can't raise their rates on the handicapped, because that is unfair discrimination and discrimination against the handicapped is against the law. Instead they raise all of our rates so they can assume the additional risk, isn't that great?
 
I understand that you disagree with 
MY OPINION,
but why be so rude about it?
 
Anyways Merry Christmas, belated.

The OP Sumflow trolled you also in a PM? LOL!

 

[porfryrieggwo]

Having earphones in makes me feel sensory deprived and less aware of my surroundings. Especially IEMs! I'm also pretty sure you can get a ticket for it.

 

[ace5000]

Exactly.

 

[SteeleW]

Next time I get behind the steering wheel, I'll see how far I can drive without the stereo on/IEMs/passengers but instead with my eyes closed and I'll give a comparison. Maybe blind peoples' hearing enhances their auditory perception well enough to drive.
 
This thread will be a constant argument because people feel strongly one way or the other. Whether emotionally or logically, we fight for what we truly believe.
 
It comes down to a couple things.
 
1) Some people are BETTER/WORSE drivers
2) Personal use (ones own comfort zone)
 
If I am a superior driver with great awareness, and I am comfortable enough to wear IEMs when I'm driving a deserted road in Oscar, LA, sue me for it.
If I have perception of Helen Keller (no offense) then I wouldn't do it. Neither would I do it if I was an amateur driver or had a Jessica Simpson IQ.
 
Thanks for your time thread.

 

[flipfire]

Sumflow pm'd me about some 1950's car? i didnt really get what he was trying to say.
 
Also heres an article of interest...
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Hearing and Spatial Awareness

Your hearing has a lot to do with your spatial awareness, just as your ears have much to do with your balance. It comes down to sound localisation, the ability to tell the exact direction that sounds are coming from in relation to yourself.

So for example if you cross the road without seeing a cyclist approaching, you know where they are when you hear the direction of their bell (or shout). But because the sound travels in waves around us, how do we instinctively know which direction to look in?

We can place a sound's direction thanks to the way our ears work with one another in relation to our head. The head creates a 'shadow' in the soundwaves, an obstruction which means that a sound reaches one ear ever so slightly later than the other. This tiny delay in the sound our ears receive is very quickly calculated by the brain and nerve signals are sent through the neck muscles to turn the head the right way. Hence, we turn towards the source of the sound as if by reflex.

There are many more factors involved in sound localisation as a whole. Echo, distance, loudness, movement and differing sound frequencies all play their parts in helping us to localise sound, but the overall effect is that the better our levels of hearing are, the easier it is to locate and make sense of sounds. 

Hearing loss can affect our ability to locate sounds, because the sound waves are muffled or missing certain sound pitches. This is one reason why many people with hearing loss struggle to understand conversation in crowded places, because they cannot always tell when people have spoken to them - and even if they hear the words, some with hearing loss may still find it hard locate where the speech is coming from.

 

[aangen]

I use my IEMs when I have two and a half hours (or more) of Interstate highway in front of me. I don't use them in the city. I agree that IEMs can take your mind off of your driving, no doubt. And when droning down the Interstate, it's a benefit. And yes they are illegal in my state. Oh well.

 

[jaakked]

Simple:
 
It's really no problem,I've been doing it 22 years.Only one accident(without headphones).

 

[Dubwicht]

Rather than spending a fortune on in car audio I now use my lap top with a Hotaudio Bit Perfect Dac/headphone amplifer in the car.  I am on the road two hours per day.   By doing this achieve better sound and avoid potential hearing loss by increasing volume to drown out car noise.  The only safety related problem I can see with doing this is that I cannot hear the signal flasher and must watch for the light instead.  I would prefer not to hear idots behind me honking horns for no reason anyway.

 

[Kunlun]

Science: Much of the research on distracted driving focuses on texting and cell phone use. However, the use of an mp3 player is included as a cause of distracted driving in research by the National Highway Transportation Safety Association.

Research on distracted driving reveals some surprising facts:

1. 20 percent of injury crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving. (NHTSA).
2. Of those killed in distracted-driving-related crashed, 995 involved reports of a cell phone as a distraction (18% of fatalities in distraction-related crashes). (NHTSA)
3. In 2009, 5,474 people were killed in U.S. roadways and an estimated additional 448,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes that were reported to have involved distracted driving. (FARS and GES)
4. The age group with the greatest proportion of distracted drivers was the under-20 age group – 16 percent of all drivers younger than 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted while driving. (NHTSA)
5. Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
6. Using a cell phone use while driving, whether it’s hand-held or hands-free, delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. (Source: University of Utah)

from http://www.distraction.gov/stats-and-facts/
and on the same page:
http://www.distraction.gov/stats-and-facts/#electronic

 

[maverickronin]

And that's why you make a playlist before you start driving...