Advocacy & Safety - Do You Wear Head Phones?

She Did!
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5526766.html

if you're not paying enough attention to NOT get hit by a train.....I think headphones are the least of your worries.

How loud was that music that it makes your vision block out a train?

Holy crap, you can be blind and still feel a train coming.

That woman hit the lottery. She got to live another day after being hit by a two story building!

I wear headphones, but their at a volume that I can carry on a conversation without anyone speaking loud.
Can't imagine not hearing a train.

HAS to be another aspect to the story

Ken.

that is pretty crazy. I have worn headphones a few times but to miss a train that just makes no sense. If I do wear headphones I make sure I can hear clear.

Huh. I've only worn one (didja hear that???) ONE earbud in an ear while on long tours - the rest of the time I want and need to hear everything going on around me.


But holy poo - I mean at home here I ruin my already ruined ears and have my very nice headphones throbbing - but hell - I sure would feel and HEAR a train coming!!!! Definitely more to this story!

I don't, and probably wouldn't. I'd rather hear a car coming up behind me. I can see how having volume on low may be alright depending on where you're riding, but I'm not going to bother looking into it.

if you're not paying enough attention to NOT get hit by a train.....I think headphones are the least of your worries.

http://forums.filefront.com/images/smilies/bgood.gif

That woman hit the lottery. She got to live another day after being hit by a two story building!

She should have been wearing one of those safety Volvos and walked away!

http://www.car-accidents.com/pages/accident_story/7-26-01_volvo-train-crash.html

Lots more car crash pictures at this site for the Kar Kulture bashers to salivate over!

She Did!
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5526766.html

Why would you wear head phones? What electronic data could possibly be more interesting than the world around you?

Ditto Botto!

I've actually been in a couple of nasty slushy/rain situations (commutes) recently and the one ride freaked me out a lot - with the worst being that I'm riding along 3 lanes of traffic going my way (3 going the other) and it's all basically an entrance/exit of the expressway - and oh hell it's bad to ride those area!

BUT! I've had a couple of nasty rides this year where I'm riding heavy traffic, at night and it's a heavy rain - that is going from sleet to snow - makes for a heavy wave of crap that hits you when a car goes by, UGH! But the absolute worst thing - actually things is:

the sound of the oncoming car or cars magnified with the water/slush. Dam that just takes the Tude off of tude when I go thru that - it sounds like a car is slamming into you every time a car goes by. Oh yeah - and I'll just add the fact that it's a crappy area too - so NO BREAK DOWNS!!! Freak time driving ... prefer not to do it --- I have a 12-15 min bus ride directly to my office so on these nasty days where I do not like to ride on ice/slush to work - I take the bus.

And to end (hehe, as I've gone onto a rant I think) - I do NOT employ headphones/ear buds. Dam I need really to hear my way thru the city driving. As I stated earlier - once in a while I'll toss them on for boredome purposes only - but I really prefer hearing everything. And you know why too.

Ditto Botto!

I've actually been in a couple of nasty slushy/rain situations (commutes) recently and the one ride freaked me out a lot - with the worst being that I'm riding along 3 lanes of traffic going my way (3 going the other) and it's all basically an entrance/exit of the expressway - and oh hell it's bad to ride those area!

BUT! I've had a couple of nasty rides this year where I'm riding heavy traffic, at night and it's a heavy rain - that is going from sleet to snow - makes for a heavy wave of crap that hits you when a car goes by, UGH! But the absolute worst thing - actually things is:

the sound of the oncoming car or cars magnified with the water/slush. Dam that just takes the Tude off of tude when I go thru that - it sounds like a car is slamming into you every time a car goes by. Oh yeah - and I'll just add the fact that it's a crappy area too - so NO BREAK DOWNS!!! Freak time driving ... prefer not to do it --- I have a 12-15 min bus ride directly to my office so on these nasty days where I do not like to ride on ice/slush to work - I take the bus.

And to end (hehe, as I've gone onto a rant I think) - I do NOT employ headphones/ear buds. Dam I need really to hear my way thru the city driving. As I stated earlier - once in a while I'll toss them on for boredome purposes only - but I really prefer hearing everything. And you know why too.

This accident took Place in The Houston Medical Center. The Trains are Electric and run down the center of the roads. I used to direct traffic here two hours a day. 65,000 Employees work here each day.
I have had people Step in Front of an Ambulance With its Lights Flashing.

This accident took Place in The Houston Medical Center. The Trains are Electric and run down the center of the roads. I used to direct traffic here two hours a day. 65,000 Employees work here each day.
I have had people Step in Front of an Ambulance With its Lights Flashing.

:( All the more reason not to have them on while riding

You really, REALLY need all your senses when out riding.

I've seen lots of people with headphones walk into traffic or drive through stopsigns and have someone brake or swerve to avoid them, without them even noticing. Of course if you ask them, they're oblivious to what just happened, so they'll tell you they've never had a problem.

Why would you wear head phones? What electronic data could possibly be more interesting than the world around you?

Some of us have a passion for music and it helps enhance the world around us. :)

"A woman in her late 20s was riding her bicycle across the tracks between platforms at the Hermann Memorial-Rice University station"

It is common place for train commuters to get hit in these situations. They become so accustomed to crossing the tracks before or after their train ride and they forget to watch out. The trains leaving the station are not yet up to speed, they are not blowing their horns.

This is an electric commuter train in Houston. It is not loud. (You can find YouTube videos of this Houston train bashing cars, by the way!)


"...dragging her 20 to 50 feet before the driver could stop..."

The train stopped in seven to sixteen yards? How fast could it have been going?

Given the above facts, earphone had little to do with it. SPECULATION ALERT! I would say familiarity with the situation, habit, following others at the time and inattention lead to this collision. We need to make "watching out" our habit to avoid following in this womans steps.

I wonder if she didn't try to beat the train.

Some of us have a passion for music and it helps enhance the world around us. :)

Same here, I love music, but I also love it cranked up, so I personally find the "keep it quiet" too hard to do and rather ride without it going "boo boo do da!" to myself.

I ride mostly on MUPS and almost always have my music on. When I'm on the road, i take the earbuds off.

Why would you wear head phones? What electronic data could possibly be more interesting than the world around you?
I do sometimes, rarely though. The world around is interesting and you can still get a good feel for it but urban commutes that you ride on hundreds of times come up with less and less to indulge you.

Most likely, the lady just wasn't paying attention and would have been struck with or without earphones. If the train is really quiet, then, the lack of phones probably would not have helped.

I wear phones when I feel like it, go without them when I feel like it, and I don't think it affects my personal safety at all. I am keenly aware of my sense of hearing and will not damage it by cranking music up loud enough so that I can descend a hill at 35 mph and still hear my music over the rush of the wind. In fact, I have carefully selected a pair of wrap arounds (they fit on your ears like the earpieces on wire-rimmed glasses) just for their aerodynamic design. Each ear piece is a perfect hemisphere and does not catch the wind and cause a lot of wind noise at my ear.

When I wear them, the simply present another set of sounds to my ears. They do not block out the outside. I can hear traffic approaching (not that it helps much), and I can hear horn honks and conversations of passers-by. When I wear them, my goal is to listen to the music while I ride, not to block out the rest of the world.

I vote for being careful when you ride, but, also for following your own desires with regard to the use of headphones.

Caruso

:( All the more reason not to have them on while riding

You really, REALLY need all your senses when out riding.

Yeah sure, gotta concentrate on the birdies chirping, or maybe pickup tires singing, broken exhaust systems blasting; or maybe concentrate on the cadence count on the computer.

Besides, what would the other club members/group thinkers/Safety Nannies say?

What's the point of this? This can't be used as ammo for the "no music!" crowd, these one in a million examples are lame. If I ride alone, I'm listening to music.

What's the point of this? This can't be used as ammo for the "no music!" crowd, these one in a million examples are lame. If I ride alone, I'm listening to music.

Right on Kyle! I'm with you, give em hell! :)

What's the point of this? This can't be used as ammo for the "no music!" crowd, these one in a million examples are lame. If I ride alone, I'm listening to music.

You also might want to mount a DVD Player on your Handle Bars too watch movies for when the scenery gets Boring. The Woman that got hit by the train is Alone in Her Hospital Bed.

You also might want to mount a DVD Player on your Handle Bars too watch movies for when the scenery gets Boring.

Yes, or bring a book to read, or some knitting. Anyone else got some even sillier extrapolations?

What electronic data could possibly be more interesting than the world around you?

LOL

...

hang on ... are you serious?

You also might want to mount a DVD Player on your Handle Bars too watch movies for when the scenery gets Boring.
Hey, looking at scenery while cycling is downright dangerous and should be banned. Stare down the road only. In fact, I believe there should be a mandatory blinders law, so no scenery, or worse - pretty people distract the serious cyclist from the task at hand.

If it upsets the OP then yes. If not wearing headphones upsets the OP then no.

My life. My ears. Go away safety nannie.

+1 If I ride alone, I'm listening to music.

You also might want to mount a DVD Player on your Handle Bars too watch movies for when the scenery gets Boring. The Woman that got hit by the train is Alone in Her Hospital Bed.

The eyes that look only to the safe course are forever closed.

If it upsets the OP then yes. If not wearing headphones upsets the OP then no.

My life. My ears. Go away safety nannie.
Stop using taxpayer dollars when you get hit by things and they'll stop being safety nannies. ;)

Not so much that I agree with safety Nazis, I figure people should be responsible for themselves, however it is a convincing argument and is what got motorcycle helmet requirements a law.

Holy crap, you can be blind and still feel a train coming.

:lol:

... perhaps she was on a bike with suspension. ;)

Stop using taxpayer dollars when you get hit by things and they'll stop being safety nannies. ;)

What type of "things"?

Cars with the windows rolled up and the radio blasting? :D


It's got to be more common than a train.

What type of "things"?

Cars with the windows rolled up and the radio blasting? :D


It's got to be more common than a train.
I prefer driving my train with my windows rolled up and my radio blasting thank you very much.

One critical fact was left out.

Was she blonde?

How do you not see a TRAIN??

How do you not see a TRAIN?? - It was actually light rail, an electric trolley.

I wonder if she had noise canceling head phones?

FWIW you might consider hanging the headphones off your helmet, near but not in your ears, and turn the volume up.

When are we going to do something about these trains? They hit whatever they please and it's always the same excuse: "It takes too long to stop".

Nope. Not one earbud, nor two, nor a pair of weak headphones draped around the neck.

I ride busy city - to blot out the sounds of what's coming up on you is horrific.

and even when out in the sticks (plus the sound of the fields and farms are a wonderful change from city noice) - but even still - I need to know what all is around me - what's behind me - coming up on me - around the corner.

F'get the boredom factor - I need to know.

One critical fact was left out.

Was she blonde?

How do you not see a TRAIN??

I didn't know Blonds could ride bikes.
She may have been listeing to train music?

I wonder if she had noise canceling head phones?

Unless they were brain cancelling headphones, they were not the cause of her inattentiveness, only a symptom.

Nope. Not one earbud, nor two, nor a pair of weak headphones draped around the neck.

I ride busy city - to blot out the sounds of what's coming up on you is horrific.

and even when out in the sticks (plus the sound of the fields and farms are a wonderful change from city noice) - but even still - I need to know what all is around me - what's behind me - coming up on me - around the corner.

F'get the boredom factor - I need to know.

Make sure you keep both hands on the bars at all times too.

Make sure you keep both hands on the bars a all times too.

And no distracting chatter with any of her snobbish cycling club pals when on her weekend rides!

Ongoing, to say one or another, just being careful seems to be a good policy but of course that is up for definitions. and so it goes. I still ride at time with headphones on but not regularly. Just seems yu want to be fully aware.

She Did!
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5526766.html

The Woman on the Bike Had The Right of Way. The Train Failed to Stop!
Read here.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5535446.html

The Third Report: Train Operator Suspended.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5546329.html

video of the accident...watching the end of the video closely...it looks to me like after she passed the 2 pedestrians, she looks right at he train.


http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=01a_1202826232

Natural Selection at work....