Originally Posted by 8bitevolution
On the flipside, I'd recommend not depending on your ears TOO much. A lot of newer cars are so quiet that even without music playing I couldn't hear their engine. It's a good idea to look behind you (or check mirrors if you have them) often.
I commute without headphones, and got the crap scared out of me on a long stretch, when I was just riding along in the middle of the car lane (trash in the shoulder). I looked back because I had the weird feeling when someone is watching you, to see a Prius like 3 feet from my back wheel. It was running on full electric, and as such, was making less noise than I was! So yeah, I support the don't-only-rely-on-your-ears idea. However, they're still your 2nd best weapon in traffic.