We all take risks. If I wanted to make sure I was never in a car accident or a bike accident, I would stay inside my house 24/7 and have all my food delivered. Hardly anybody lives like that so we all take a certain amount of risks doing certain things. Some people will only drive during the day. Some people will make sure they get a huge SUV so if they ever do get in a wreck (even if it is their fault or not) they will usually win and not end up getting hurt as bad. Some people will never get on a motorcycle because it just does not seem safe. Some people jump out of airplanes with a pretty sure faith that their chute will open up. Some people have sex with tons of people thinking that they will not "catch" anything.
We all take risks. The question is how much of a risk are you willing to take to make something more enjoyable and something you like to do. On group rides I don't listen to music because I feel it is to risky to myself and my other riders since you have to focus more when riding so close together. When I go solo I listen to music because I am willing to take the risk of listening to some tunes or a podcast, knowing that there could be a chance that something could go terribly wrong because I have headphones on (even though I think the chance is small).
Since I do listen to music, I try and find ways that I can enjoy my music and make is safer. If you have ever tried adjusting your ipod/music player while riding, you know how dangerous this can be. It is very easy to start acting like a squirrel and move all over the road. Also if you have tunes blasting away and come up on a situation (like passing another biker or people on a bike path) you are more at risk if you can't hear anything.
I have posted this before but thought I would post it again in this thread.
I have found something that works for me and even though it does not totally make me safe, it lowers my risks in many situations. I have a little wireless remote that goes on my handlebars that allows me to control my ipod. In all of my jerseys I have cut a tiny hole that allows me to put my ipod in back of my jersey pocket and feed my headphone wire between the jersey and my body and then come up to my ears (no wires to get tangled in anything). I then use my remote on my handlebars to control my ipod. I can keep my eyes on the road if I need to adjust the volume or hit pause fast if I need to focus on a situation such as passing another biker or yelling at a group of people taking up the entire bike path.
