Originally Posted by EnigManiac
There are traffic laws in this country (yes, I'm Canadian too and yes, I ride in the winter, and yes, I wear a touque, but a touque doesn't blast music in my ears) that limit the noise a motor vehicle is allowed to emit (although it is, admittedly ,rarely, if ever, enforced) and that is to allow the vehicle operator the ability to hear sounds that may alert him/her to potential dangers.
This is flat-out wrong. Noise ordinances are designed to protect the people who are in the surrounding area from being bombarded by the noise from obnoxiously loud automobiles.
If it were for the benefit of the driver, the law would talk about noise within the cabin, not the noise emitted from the vehicle. 1000 watt car stereos would be illegal. No, it's not about the driver. Again, that's why traffic law is based on visual signalling.
And I ride in the winter. With headphones it's actually easy to keep your ears warm since you can get them in any size with any level of padding you like all the way up to fully enclosed DJ-style phones with big thick over-ear cups. Toasty! Me, I use earbuds and cover my ears for warmth as I otherwise would.