If it is actually a danger, it's not unreasonable to expect that there is some evidence to support it. Show us. 'I'm sure there is somewhere' is not a compelling argument.


Next ride, pay close attention to the cars passing. Using hearing alone, exactly how accurately can you pinpoint the lateral position of a passing car? It's bloody difficult. I prefer not to rely on such ambiguous information. If you're so concerned about passing traffic hitting you, and there's little evidence to support this being a major danger in the first place, get a mirror. It's a thousand times more usefull than your hearing.

In moderate traffic, you're not going to hear an individual car until it's too late to do anything anyway. In heavy traffic individual cars are lost in the general hubbub of traffic and wind noise. I've tested this. I've checked to see just how close a car gets to me before I can hear it, and I've gotta say it's pretty close (less than 50m). Between first hearing it and it passing you've got maybe a second or two to determine if it's going to hit you and take evasive action if necessary. My hearing's not that accurate. I prefer to SEE them coming, and I can see them coming WAY WAY before I hear them.

But that's all moot. Like I said, being hit from behind is such an exceedingly rare occurrence that it's not worth worrying that much about, unless you can't hold a straight line or don't shoulder check when changing lanes (and I hope you don't rely only on your hearing whilst doing that.)

I've actually been hit from behind. I wasn't wearing headphones at the time. I even had the extra benefit that the driver hit his brakes hard before hitting me, which is a big audible clue that something's amiss, but there was simply no time to react. It's simply so uncommon that I didn't even make the connection between the sound and the idea that I was going to be hit until it was too late. Fortunately I was relatively unhurt.


If it's a fact, there'll be proof. Put up or shut up. I've got ten years worth of riding with headphones without incident in heavy traffic that says you're full of ****. This isn't to say I never crash, I do. It's just never been attributable to a lack of hearing.


Talk about a contrived argument. How often does this actually happen? Never to me. If a child did ever dart out in front of me, my only chance of avoiding them is by SEEING them. By the time they make a 'startled yelp' if they even do, it's too late. Besides, you shouldn't need to look over your shoulder for cars if you can hear them eh?


Strawman. Inability to hold a line has absolutely nothing to do with hearing. I don't need an audible signal from another cyclist when I'm riding any more than I do from another driver when I'm in a car. As long as you hold your line and LOOK before changing direction, leave worring about passing safely to the one doing the passing. If you can't hold a line, I suggest you practice until you can before entering traffic again.


Oh please. How is this 'all about ourselves'? I'm not the one trying to tell people what to do here. But in my experience, which is extensive, there is no additional risk involved in riding with headphones if you are a safe and competent rider. If you aren't then you're at risk whether you listen to music or not.

Your so called argument is based on nothing more than faulty assumptions, contrived situations and emotional blackmail. In other words nothing more than a desire to tell people what to do, as if your opinion is worth anything.

On the other hand, those that say it's not dangerous base their statement on actual riding expereince over an extended period of time. And not one of them is trying to convince others to wear headphones. They are merely describing their experience, and where necessary arguing against the faulty notion that it's dangerous. See the difference?

Without any experience, or even any evidence scientific or otherwise, you should never have even touched keyboard on this subject. You're no better than non-cyclists trying to tell us how dangerous it is to ride in traffic and we should be on the path. Oh wait, sounds like you do ride on the path. You bought that furphey to did you?

Ultimately it comes down to choice. Some like music whilst riding, some don't, and that's fine. Make your choice and be happy. But don't try and tell me it's dangerous. It isn't. Laws banning headphones on bikes are on the same level as laws that try and force riders off the road, and the exact same arguments are often used in both cases. I support freedom of choice on this matter. If the government does want to promote the idea that it's dangerous then let them do it as 'safety advice' rather than making it law. This, incidentally, is exactly what they do here in Australia.