Driving with Headphones

[maverickronin]

I guess you better tell deaf people you're going to take away their licenses then.

 

[wordfool]

deaf people (like amputees) can drive (as long as they can pass the test) because the constitution prohibits discriminating based on disability. However, all of us can only drive only because states let us... there is no constitutional right to drive, it's a privilege so we have to abide by the laws however dumb we think they might be. 
 
And if you've ever known a deaf person you'll also know they are far more visually aware than most people, and certainly far more aware of their surroundings than a non-deaf person wearing headphones!

 

[kmhaynes]

I drive with IEMs when on any solo road trip longer than 1 hour or so, or on a long family vacation trip when everyone in the car is listening to other music.
 
I am extremely aware visually of what goes on around me, and I have not had any type of vehicle accident or ticket in almost 20 years.
 
My IEMs do not distract me from driving at all.
 
I did give up reading books while driving on the interstate about 2 or 3 years ago.    

  

 

[DJGeorgeT]

I have to agree with maverick. I have seen people crank their car stereos so loud, there is just no way they would hear an ambulance or police car coming. It makes no difference really whether the guy is listening to headphones or blasting his stereo. Actually I much prefer if these guys were listening to headphones. That way I do not have to endure the bad music and rumbling bass. And I do wear noise isolating canalphones because the stock headset that came with my blackberry happens to be noise isolating canalphones. I do need to drive safely and legally, not with one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding a phone. 

 

[Raguvian]

It's something I definitely wouldn't do... I'm a big bicyclist and the amount of inattentiveness I've seen by drivers is enough, they don't need to be wearing headphones as well.
 
And I drive a car with one of the worst stereos ever, that isn't really audible at highway speeds. I just end up listening to the exhaust instead.
 
That said, I would like to try some over ear headphones while riding in a car to see how it compares to the stereo and how much external noise it lets in. If it let in comparable amounts of background noise as a stereo does, it wouldn't be a bad idea...

 

[fallingreason]

In CA its illegal to have something in both ears, you can listen through 1 ear though.

 

[kova4a]

Just don't do it - ever! last year I was driving my bicycle and a dude with his earbuds on started to make a right turn to park his car (and I was to his right) , I rang my bike bell and he didn't hear it and and hit me and didn't even hear the sound from the impact. So, a I was on the ground in pain with broken ribs and he just parked his car not realizing what he just did. And whit my ribs broken I couldn't shout loud enough for him to hear me with his headphones on. I was on the ground in pain for good 20 minutes until I managed to get up as there was no one else around.
The moral of this story is - DON'T drive with headphones on... Period.
Because of guys like this I never ride my bicycle with headphones on even though I'm not a threat to anyone. So, just because you have seatbelts, airbags and... responsibility doesn't mean that you have the privilege to drive with headphones and I don't.

 

[nicknyhk]

I would say you shouldn't do it. I mean the car stereo might make it a bit more difficult to hear an emergency vehicle but having a pair of iem not only does the music drown the siren theres the added effect of the isolation which would make it twice as hard to hear...

 

[ForgottenxxRebel]

i don't see what the big deal is here.   are deaf people banned from driving just because they cannot hear?    and racing, most(really i'd say all) drivers wear custom made earplugs under their helmets.  and the speeds they drive at, certainly we must ban earplugs at the track too!!

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

deaf people (like amputees) can drive (as long as they can pass the test) because the constitution prohibits discriminating based on disability. However, all of us can only drive only because states let us... there is no constitutional right to drive, it's a privilege so we have to abide by the laws however dumb we think they might be. 
 
And if you've ever known a deaf person you'll also know they are far more visually aware than most people, and certainly far more aware of their surroundings than a non-deaf person wearing headphones!

The reason they can drive is because hearing has nothing to do with driving.  Driving is entirely visual already.
 
Quote:

Just don't do it - ever! last year I was driving my bicycle and a dude with his earbuds on started to make a right turn to park his car (and I was to his right) , I rang my bike bell and he didn't hear it and and hit me and didn't even hear the sound from the impact. So, a I was on the ground in pain with broken ribs and he just parked his car not realizing what he just did. And whit my ribs broken I couldn't shout loud enough for him to hear me with his headphones on. I was on the ground in pain for good 20 minutes until I managed to get up as there was no one else around.
The moral of this story is - DON'T drive with headphones on... Period.
Because of guys like this I never ride my bicycle with headphones on even though I'm not a threat to anyone. So, just because you have seatbelts, airbags and... responsibility doesn't mean that you have the privilege to drive with headphones and I don't.

 
Bell, you expect someone to hear a bell.  They also wouldn't have noticed if they for example, had their windows up.

 

[Above]

I'd say Maverick's won the thread.

 

[Kunlun]

Quote:

I'd say Maverick's won the thread.

 
Laws in the U.S. are becoming more strict, not less. This is a very good thing for people who aren't  kids.
 
Oh, and the asinine way he brushed off the guy who got hit with by a car? Yeah, he's a real winner.
 
Driving is entirely visual? Yes, that why cars have horns.

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

I'd say that's a pretty dumb thing to say.
 
Laws in the U.S. are becoming more strict, not less. This is a very good thing for people who aren't dumbass kids.
 
Oh, and the asinine way he brushed off the guy who got hit with by a car? Yeah, he's a real winner, kid.
 
Driving is entirely visual? Yes, that why cars have horns.

 
Why would it be dumb?
 
Because laws are stricter?  That's a BAD thing, unless you enjoy people telling you what to do.  I sure as hell don't.
 
Brushed off the guy that got hit by a car?  Sure it sucks, but I don't fall for appeals to emotion.  Maybe the idiot that hit him should have been looking where he was going.  iBuds = running people over does not follow.  You wouldn't hear a bell over your stereo or having your windows up.  There are plenty of other things which no one objects to which would have lead to the exact same result with the exact same probability.
 
I suppose driving may not be entirely visual, but its certainly almost entirely visual.  To answer your question, I don't know why cars have horns because they are almost entirely useless.  I have never seen a useful application of a horn in my life.  As far as I can tell people only lay into them when they're behind you and angry that you won't turn out in front of someone and cut them off.  That's probably why they're so quiet these days.  A proper 130dB+ horn will cut through even IEMs if need be.  No one is going to hear a bell.
 
You need to calmly examine the facts without getting worked up over sob stories.  If you think the problem with driving while using headphones is that they attenuate outside noise then you need to equally condemn all things that attenuate outside noise.  Someone in a luxury car with the stereo turned up will be just a oblivious as a person in a roadster wearing IEMs.  If you think the music is distracting then you need to equally condemn all distractions of similar magnitude such as car stereos and passengers.
 
I will however make a small concession.  I live in the suburbs.  I drive in the suburbs.  My statements may not hold true in very crowded cities where large numbers of pedestrians (I consider anything that can't do the speed limit a pedestrian) crowd the roads.  I can imagine horns actually being useful in some situations in such an environment.  I still say no one's going to hear a bell though.

 

[wordfool]

Quote:

I will however make a small concession.  I live in the suburbs.  I drive in the suburbs.  My statements may not hold true in very crowded cities where large numbers of pedestrians (I consider anything that can't do the speed limit a pedestrian) crowd the roads.  I can imagine horns actually being useful in some situations in such an environment.  I still say no one's going to hear a bell though.

I think this sorta sums up why this thread is going round and round... some people live in cities where driving is more hectic and horns are used for many different reasons. Others live in suburbs, and others live in rural areas where relative silence and fewer cars is probably the norm... different driving conditions require different levels of attention and types of attention. Where I live (city with a lot of traffic and pushy drivers) you'd have to be pretty dumb or irresponsible to wear headphones while driving, unless you like traffic tickets or a lot of near misses. Horns, squealing tires, truck engines, sirens, yelling cyclists etc. are all part of the fabric of driving. Ignore them or block them out at your peril. 

 

[Uncle Erik]

wordfool, disabilities are not addressed in the Constitution. There is the ADA and a plethora of state laws, but there are no guarantees to drive.

Driving with headphones or IEMs is foolish and possibly negligent. Do not do it.

I've done a small amount of PI work, and if I filed suit on behalf of someone hit by someone wearing headphones/IEMs, I'd go after you - hard - for negligence. I think the rest of the plaintiff's bar would do the same.

A little music is not worth risking everything you own for. Beside that fact, do you really want to do something that might hurt or kill someone? Think it over. Be safe when you drive. No unnecessary distractions. Think about what would would happen if you ended up in front of a jury, then raked over the coals for wearing headphones while driving. Don't expect sympathy.