Originally Posted by
Pamestique
1) music is distracting, sorry it is 2) and there is no way to say that ear buds and iPods are also not distracting.*** Justify it any way you want, the reason you wear them is for the distraction. It is also against the law to wear them while riding on the road or public bike path.
CA Vehicle Code:
27400. A person operating a motor vehicle or bicycle may not wear a headset covering, or earplugs in, both ears.
(a) A person operating authorized emergency vehicles, as defined in Section 165.
(b) A person engaged in the operation of either special construction equipment or equipment for use in the maintenance of any highway.
(c) A person engaged in the operation of refuse collection equipment who is wearing a safety headset or safety earplugs.
(d) A person wearing personal hearing protectors in the form of earplugs or molds that are specifically designed to attenuate injurious noise levels. The plugs or molds shall be designed in a manner so as to not inhibit the wearer's ability to hear a siren or horn from an emergency vehicle or a horn from another motor vehicle.
(e) A person using a prosthetic device that aids the hard of hearing.
As long as you have ear buds in only one ear, you are legally in the clear. The reason for the prohibition against both ears being covered is not because it is distracting, but because it makes it harder to hear emergency vehicles and horns (as you can see mentioned in exclusion d above).