Pedestrians wearing headphones…

[MCL1981]

Your assuming the person with earphones in can’t hear what is going on around them. I can hear your bike rolling. I can hear your bell. I can hear you call on the left. So if you’re going to protest calling your passes, then that makes you the rude self-centered one. Not me.

[DSalovesh]

I was going to write something like this, but Transportation for America did it faster and better under the headline “Pedestrian deaths, blaming the victim: headphones edition”:

http://t4america.org/blog/2012/01/19/its-the-1-percent-vs-the-99-percent-pedestrian-safety-edition/

[off2ride]

@MCL1981 13359 wrote:

Your assuming the person with earphones in can’t hear what is going on around them. I can hear your bike rolling. I can hear your bell. I can hear you call on the left. So if you’re going to protest calling your passes, then that makes you the rude self-centered one. Not me.

But sir my Ipod was on low volume. Officer: Sure it was. I’m sorry but you have no defense. God forbid somebody or something makes contact with you while you’re out there riding or running but you make the call.

[MCL1981]

From the past cases of bikes being hit by cars that have been posted on here, I think the headphones are the least of the problems. But I’m referring more to the bike paths than the streets.

[JimF22003]

I find that my hearing is dulled enough just by wearing a thick balaclava in the winter time that I have a hard time hearing approaching traffic when I’m out on country roads. It’s harder to hear annoying little noises on my bike too, like the tire going flat

I don’t really miss having music when I ride, mainly because I’ve never tried it. I don’t knock those who do, but for me, as long as I have my hearing, I plan to use it to aid my situational awareness.

[Dirt]

You’re never going to convince me. The more you argue, the more I think you’re deluded. I’m obviously not going to convince you. The more I argue, the more you think I’m annoying and closed minded. That probably means we’re both right. I’ll leave it at that.

Rock on!

[PotomacCyclist]

I know from experience that many people wearing earphones don’t hear anything around them. When I approach and pass pedestrians on trails, anywhere from a third to a half of those with earphones don’t hear my “passing on the left” warning at all. I shout out loudly, sometimes more than once. As I pass, many of those with earphones jump back because they are completely startled. I know I’m yelling loudly enough because many times when I shout out to someone without earphones, they will raise their left hand to acknowledge that they heard me. Is this a scientific survey? No, just my experience over the past three years of riding on local trails and roads.

My views are also based on the fact that many people specifically use earphones to distract themselves from the discomfort of running or boredom. People mention this over and over again on running forums. They wear earphones for the express purpose of distraction.

[skreaminquadz]

@MCL1981 13338 wrote:

I’m just not seeing how me wearing headphones makes me a hazard.

Seriously? It’s like saying you don’t see how only having partial vision would adversely affect your safety while riding, and more importantly, the safety of everyone around you.

[off2ride]

@Dirt 13174 wrote:

I will enjoy playfully avoiding you.

Me too. I’ll make sure to put the air horns on full blast passing them.

[MCL1981]

@skreaminquadz 13375 wrote:

Seriously? It’s like saying you don’t see how only having partial vision would adversely affect your safety while riding, and more importantly, the safety of everyone around you.

If you read the rest of what I posed beyond that one sentence, you would realize your statement is incorrect. So yes I’m serious. Everyone that passed me on my hour commute today said “on your left” at a normal tone and volume. I heard all of them. And I knew they were there long before the called it too. So you assertions that I don’t hear or know what is going on around me is clearly incorrect. Am I an example of everyone else with headphones, no. But the oblivious idiots are also not an example of everyone with headphones.

[skreaminquadz]

@MCL1981 13379 wrote:

If you read the rest of what I posed beyond that one sentence, you would realize your statement is incorrect. So yes I’m serious.

So my statement is clearly incorrect then you agree with it. Okay….

@MCL1981 13379 wrote:

So you assertions that I don’t hear or know what is going on around me is clearly incorrect.

Of course it was.

Peace out – I’m off this thread.

[MCL1981]

Leaving the thread doesn’t change much since you didn’t offer much to begin with. I’m trying to explain my point of view in logical manner with some thought. All you’ve said is “because I said so”. I’m not phased.

[Arlingtonrider]

We’ll have differences on some things, but we all seem to agree that listening to things played too loudly or that involve a lot of mental attention, and wearing types of earbuds/headphones that block out all other sounds, are not good practices. We also all seem to agree that it’s important for our own safety (and potential liability), and the safety of others, to ride very attentively. I’d like to suggest that we try to appreciate the value of hearing different points of view and think them over when making decisions, with a mind open to the possibility of erring on the side of the safest practices, recognizing that not every rider or every ride is the same. End of thread?

[jabberwocky]

@MCL1981 13359 wrote:

Your assuming the person with earphones in can’t hear what is going on around them. I can hear your bike rolling. I can hear your bell. I can hear you call on the left. So if you’re going to protest calling your passes, then that makes you the rude self-centered one. Not me.

:shrug: My experience is simply that, with people wearing headphones, things generally go smoother if I just assume they can’t hear me and don’t know I’m there and pass as quickly and stealthily as possible. I cannot count the number of times I’ve called a pass, and had the headphone wearer get confused (was that someone talking to me or something in the song?) and start looking around, wandering into the wrong lane or god-knows-what. I don’t do it to be a jerk, I do it because my extensive experience says its the smart thing to do.

[Arlingtonrider]

Interesting. I’ve had a completely different experience where I ride. Many people wearing headphones have thanked me for calling my passes or ringing my bell. I’ve never seen a cyclist act confused about that. Most just ride on, as I would expect from anyone.

[Author]

Posts