Cycling with headphones kills mother as coroner says she caused her own death
12-05-16, 06:36 PM
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popcorn? really?
12-05-16, 06:46 PM
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I ride my motorcycle with earplugs, no different than headphones. You can still have situationally awareness.
12-05-16, 06:54 PM
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It's interesting how people try to weight facts to support a trendy proposition.
Assuming that I have my rights and lefts straight, this seems to be a fairly simple case of failure to yield on the part of the cyclist. So I agree with the coroner that the fault lies with the cyclist. But it's a stretch to blame the headphones.
There's no evidence that hearing might have alerted her to the danger where her eyes failed. As for distraction, nobody would ever blame a car radio for distracting a driver, so why blame music for distracting a cyclist.
There's no denying that inattentiveness to her riding and traffic around her led to the crash, but inattentiveness doesn't imply distraction, as the term is used these days.
The coroner should have stayed off the soapbox and stuck with the simple "failure to yield".
Assuming that I have my rights and lefts straight, this seems to be a fairly simple case of failure to yield on the part of the cyclist. So I agree with the coroner that the fault lies with the cyclist. But it's a stretch to blame the headphones.
There's no evidence that hearing might have alerted her to the danger where her eyes failed. As for distraction, nobody would ever blame a car radio for distracting a driver, so why blame music for distracting a cyclist.
There's no denying that inattentiveness to her riding and traffic around her led to the crash, but inattentiveness doesn't imply distraction, as the term is used these days.
The coroner should have stayed off the soapbox and stuck with the simple "failure to yield".
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Last edited by FBinNY; 12-05-16 at 08:44 PM.
12-05-16, 06:57 PM
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12-05-16, 07:05 PM
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12-05-16, 07:13 PM
#9
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I always wear headphones as a pedestrian and IMO they reduce situational awareness. I have to compensate for the loss of hearing and I have had occasions where my compensation fell short and put me in danger. I will not wear headphones while riding. JMO.
12-05-16, 07:20 PM
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I use to listen to music while biking/walking but now I like hearing the 'quiet' or the sounds of whatever I'm passing. It's more enjoyable. I still may sometimes play a radio while biking, but not use earlpugs/phones
12-05-16, 07:53 PM
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More like a failure in crashing. No fall at that speed should give more than abrasions.
A local girl here was riding on the MUP when she panicked, grabbed too much brake, and flew over the bars. She was wearing a helmet but smashed her face and broke her jaw, among other injuries.
It's panic, a lack of coordination, and a lack of upper body strength.
A local girl here was riding on the MUP when she panicked, grabbed too much brake, and flew over the bars. She was wearing a helmet but smashed her face and broke her jaw, among other injuries.
It's panic, a lack of coordination, and a lack of upper body strength.
12-05-16, 08:43 PM
#13
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With a car radio, although diminished, you still have the ability to hear other noise around you. With earbuds or headphones, that ability is all but gone. Although I never do, I'd be willing to ride my bike with just my mounted phone playing music from the speaker. But, I wouldn't dare ride listening to music with my ears filled with earbuds or covered with headphones. No way. Hearing sufficiently is much too important to my safety. In my opinion, it's right up there with seeing sufficiently.
12-05-16, 08:50 PM
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Glad I don't live in the UK! It looks like they've got an even worse alt-reality problem than we do.
12-05-16, 08:52 PM
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Either way, she didn't die because she didn't hear, she died because she didn't look or see.
As for car radios, I hear car radios in cars with closed windows sometimes at a distance of 3 or more car lengths. I seriously doubt that those driver are hearing what's going on outside the car.
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
12-05-16, 09:16 PM
#16
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The coroner didn't say the earphones masked or drowned out outside noises, nor was there any mention of a horn she didn't hear. In stead the coroner cited the distraction factor in listening to music while riding.
Either way, she didn't die because she didn't hear, she died because she didn't look or see.
As for car radios, I hear car radios in cars with closed windows sometimes at a distance of 3 or more car lengths. I seriously doubt that those driver are hearing what's going on outside the car.
Either way, she didn't die because she didn't hear, she died because she didn't look or see.
As for car radios, I hear car radios in cars with closed windows sometimes at a distance of 3 or more car lengths. I seriously doubt that those driver are hearing what's going on outside the car.
Yes, there are instances where a car stereo can be turned up so loud it'll drown out all outside noise. Anyone can over-do anything. But at relatively reasonable volume levels, earbuds/headphones make hearing other surrounding noises much more difficult than speakers distanced from the ears.
12-05-16, 09:17 PM
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sounds like a suicide to me
12-05-16, 10:28 PM
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12-05-16, 10:33 PM
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He got crap over it, but the OP nailed it.
It's turned into a pro/anti ear bud thread.
It's turned into a pro/anti ear bud thread.
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
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WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
FB
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
12-05-16, 10:42 PM
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I had the same type ear plugs when riding my motorcycle and agree its not like pumping music into your ears. I no longer use ear plugs as it was pushing the ear was deeper an deeper into my ear canal to the point I couldn't hear out of one ear. I had ear lavage (flushing of the ear wax out of my ears) which got my hearing back. Hearing is priceless and you don't realize it until its gone!
12-05-16, 10:53 PM
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Umm, ya...big difference. Muffled wind and exhaust sounds are not the same as listening to music. Music is a distraction as it's not natural to the process of riding a motorcycle or a bicycle since it uses up some awareness and one needs as much awareness of the riding situation as possible at all times if riding in traffic.
12-05-16, 10:55 PM
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I had the same type ear plugs when riding my motorcycle and agree its not like pumping music into your ears. I no longer use ear plugs as it was pushing the ear was deeper an deeper into my ear canal to the point I couldn't hear out of one ear. I had ear lavage (flushing of the ear wax out of my ears) which got my hearing back. Hearing is priceless and you don't realize it until its gone!
12-05-16, 10:57 PM
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12-05-16, 11:04 PM
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I thought I was using proper ear plugs as they were custom fit and always worked good, so, I'm not sure what you are referring to? Is there another type you think is better? My doctor told me you should never put anything in you ears other than your finger with a washcloth on the end of it, this means No Q-tips too. I am in the audio industry and one of the reasons I had the custom plugs made, since I no longer use ear plugs I use my headphone to block loud music. I have yet to have anymore problems with ear wax going deep into my ear canal or loss of hearing.
12-05-16, 11:27 PM
#25
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How about what the Coroner really said:
Coroner for East Riding of Yorkshire Paul Marks ruled that listening to music could have contributed to Ms Norton’s misjudgement.
Professor Marks said: "I accept this was an entirely avoidable incident and the cause of the events that lead op to the accident rest entirely with the cyclist.
“No charges have been brought against the HGV driver and he has been totally exonerated.”
He concluded: "I cannot determine if she was on her iPhone listening with earphone at the time, but if she had been, it could have caused a distraction and could have contributed to the cause of the accident."
IS there some reason the OP totally distorted what the Coroner found? Trying to raise a ruckus?
Coroner for East Riding of Yorkshire Paul Marks ruled that listening to music could have contributed to Ms Norton’s misjudgement.
Professor Marks said: "I accept this was an entirely avoidable incident and the cause of the events that lead op to the accident rest entirely with the cyclist.
“No charges have been brought against the HGV driver and he has been totally exonerated.”
He concluded: "I cannot determine if she was on her iPhone listening with earphone at the time, but if she had been, it could have caused a distraction and could have contributed to the cause of the accident."
IS there some reason the OP totally distorted what the Coroner found? Trying to raise a ruckus?