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I walk and drive as part of my commute. When I'm walking I swear I'm the only person who doesn't wear headphones, and this is a very busy urban area with lots o

I walk and drive as part of my commute. When I'm walking I swear I'm the only person who doesn't wear headphones, and this is a very busy urban area with lots of cars, people, and narrow streets. I would imagine it's the same in Europe though, what do I know?

linuxftw 7y ago
I was in Europe recently. Didn't observe too many with headphones in while crossing streets or on the metro. Another uniquely American thing I've witnessed is people not even bothering to look when crossing the street because of whatever video they're watching on their phone.
- brokenmachine 7y ago
  Unfortunately not unique. I've seen plenty of morons doing that here in Australia as well.
peter303 7y ago
Covering both ears in a car or on a bike is prohibited in most states, but rarely enforced. However getting such noted on the accident report can establish negligence in a civil action.
- MereInterest 7y ago
  Do these tend to refer to audio players in particular, or to any ear covering? I'm curious (1) whether that applies to balaclavas for warmth in the winter and (2) whether an earplug in my left ear would be allowed. As a daily biker, it's astounding how deafening trucks/motorcycles can be.
upofadown 7y ago
It isn't clear that headphones make pedestrians/cyclists less safe.Traffic noise in busy urban areas would make it unlikely that headphones would mask any useful auditory information. I even heard of one study that concluded that the music actually increased awareness and focus.
- notacoward 7y ago
  Higher traffic noise makes it more likely that the one engine or horn that you need to hear will be masked by all the others. Any kind of noise, including the music people play through their headphones, will have that effect. Headphones reduce the amount of ambient sound one hears, they interfere with interpretation (e.g. localization of sound), and they even interfere with response to even non-auditory stimuli. People wear headphones all day in open offices precisely because they decrease awareness of the environment. Please follow some of the references in the introduction of this document to learn more. https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/59823/MAY-THESIS-2018.pdf https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/59823/MAY-... "Not clear" indeed. It just doesn't get much clearer.
  - upofadown 7y ago
    I don't think that I am the one that has to do the work to disprove my own contention... :) You have to make your own point and provide either actual arguments or actual references. You can't just point to a semi-random list of references.
brokenmachine 7y ago
I wear headphones when I walk and I haven't been hit yet. I still look both ways before and during crossing a street.

linuxftw 7y ago

I was in Europe recently. Didn't observe too many with headphones in while crossing streets or on the metro. Another uniquely American thing I've witnessed is people not even bothering to look when crossing the street because of whatever video they're watching on their phone.

brokenmachine 7y ago
Unfortunately not unique. I've seen plenty of morons doing that here in Australia as well.

peter303 7y ago

Covering both ears in a car or on a bike is prohibited in most states, but rarely enforced. However getting such noted on the accident report can establish negligence in a civil action.

MereInterest 7y ago
Do these tend to refer to audio players in particular, or to any ear covering? I'm curious (1) whether that applies to balaclavas for warmth in the winter and (2) whether an earplug in my left ear would be allowed. As a daily biker, it's astounding how deafening trucks/motorcycles can be.

upofadown 7y ago

It isn't clear that headphones make pedestrians/cyclists less safe.Traffic noise in busy urban areas would make it unlikely that headphones would mask any useful auditory information. I even heard of one study that concluded that the music actually increased awareness and focus.

notacoward 7y ago
Higher traffic noise makes it more likely that the one engine or horn that you need to hear will be masked by all the others. Any kind of noise, including the music people play through their headphones, will have that effect. Headphones reduce the amount of ambient sound one hears, they interfere with interpretation (e.g. localization of sound), and they even interfere with response to even non-auditory stimuli. People wear headphones all day in open offices precisely because they decrease awareness of the environment. Please follow some of the references in the introduction of this document to learn more. https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/59823/MAY-THESIS-2018.pdf https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/59823/MAY-... "Not clear" indeed. It just doesn't get much clearer.
- upofadown 7y ago
  I don't think that I am the one that has to do the work to disprove my own contention... :) You have to make your own point and provide either actual arguments or actual references. You can't just point to a semi-random list of references.

brokenmachine 7y ago

I wear headphones when I walk and I haven't been hit yet. I still look both ways before and during crossing a street.