Originally Posted by
wphamilton
The only relevance of the ear bud is that that taxi driver latched onto OP's ear bud to excuse his aggressive driving. Those who are unsafe when wearing earbuds shouldn't wear them, but don't project that onto everyone else.
Agreed. The cab driver would have done the exact same thing if OP wasn't wearing ear buds. Having said that, however, I don't, and wouldn't, wear earbuds riding a bike. Even if the actual decibel level of the broadcast doesn't keep you from hearing your surroundings the content of the broadcast may draw my attention away from cars around me. A moment's inattention may be all it takes to get into trouble.