…blah blah blah
I’ve been taking some flack recently about the fact that I often ride with earbuds. Apparently listening to music while riding a bicycle is dangerous. And to that I say
bull squat
Here are my arguments why it isn’t “dangerous” (again that ambiguous useless word).
- Nobody can tell the difference between the sound of a vehicle that is going to hit you from the sound of a vehicle that is going to pass you safely. Can. Not. Be. Done. If anybody tells you they can, ask them the color of the sky in their world.
- I don’t rely on hearing.
- I don’t play the music loud enough to drown out traffic, let alone the sound of the wind in my ears. In fact, the traffic often makes it difficult to hear the music.
- I don’t rely on hearing.
- Nobody teaches an avoidance maneuver to “get out of the way.” So even if you could tell that a car was about to hit you from the sound, there’s nothing you could do about it.
- I use my sight. I look around. Sometimes I use a mirror.
So spare me the finger wagging lectures and sheep-like bleating of “that’s not safe.” Please.
Tim, I agree in general (can’t wait to see what ire you inspire from others). However, one thing I use hearing for is changing lanes, and generally moving around and through intersections. I can tell if a car is coming up, or is near me before I look (and I always look). It is a preview of what my eyes hopefully confirm. Since I don’t ride with ear-buds, I don’t actually know what it would feel like without hearing everything. I am sure you ride without ear buds, so know very well what the difference is. I am fallible and prefer to have as many sensory layers as possible to defer the inevitable mortal error. Redundancy is good, as you know.
Mateo.
I’ll admit to a little trolling here. So far I haven’t received any “tsk tsk” type replies. Still early.
Let me clarify. I use hearing. But I never use it as the sole sensory input for decision making. I’ve been surprised by too many Priuses and those damn CapMetro buses (which are deceptively quiet). I can hear traffic behind me (except for the aforementioned death machines) even with music on. I don’t play my music at “everybody has to hear it” level.
and thank you for not throwing the “d” word in my face
I occasionally feel guilty about riding with earbuds too, but I still do it. I was recently heartened to read that cyclists riding with headphones at a moderate volume actually still hear MORE than their counterpart in a car. (See http://www.ibiketo.ca/blog/cyclist-ipod-hears-better-motorist-driving).
I use a rear-view mirror religiously, because I LIKE mirrors. Not everyone does. I also use the kind of earphones that you don’t stuff tightly into your ear. They do sit in my ear (i.e., not over it), but I can still hear pretty well around them. And I usually listen to podcasts where I don’t worry if I miss a few minutes if I have to concentrate hard on what’s going on around me.
Honestly, having something else to think about lowers my anxiety about riding in traffic a bit. I’m a naturally anxious person anyway O.o so anything that helps is good, in my world.
who said I feel guilty?
Not you, ME!
“I occasionally feel guilty about riding with earbuds too…”
I don’t ride with earbuds, but I do save my tsk-ing for people riding the wrong way on the road at night with dark clothes and no lights on. If hearing-impaired people can drive & rely on sight, then cyclists don’t have to rely on hearing. (Although I do rely on it a lot, because I still haven’t bought a rearview mirror. Blast!)
And CapMetro buses are SO quiet on the outside. I usually know my bus is coming because I hear the bike rack rattle, not because I hear the engine or whatever. Inside the bus, on the other hand…