4 ms·

Fantastic, someone driving a deadly vehicle responsible for 40,000 deaths every single year, and now they can't even hear anything either. Hey, but as long as

Fantastic, someone driving a deadly vehicle responsible for 40,000 deaths every single year, and now they can't even hear anything either. Hey, but as long as you are ok, right?

TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago
The ear plugs I wear are 27dB reduction, so it's not like I can't hear anything. How do you think the 27dB reduction due to ear plug hearing protection compares to someone playing loud music in their car. Also see my other comment here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20702195 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20702195, reproduced for your benefit here: At low speeds, driving around car parks etc, the ear plugs are out and usually have all the windows at least partly open, because I’m those environments hearing can be a huge boost to situational awareness. I find above 40k/hr my hearing is better with ear plugs because it attenuates the road, wind, and engine noise more for me. Additionally, I've never been responsible for a serious accident, only a couple fender-benders when I was much younger. Also, as per the site guidelines https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html Be kind. Don't be snarky. Comments should get more thoughtful and substantive, not less, as a topic gets more divisive. Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith.
gambiting 7y ago
You do realize that deaf people can drive legally, yeah?
- VBprogrammer 7y ago
  People with double arm amputations can also drive but if you or I decided to go out and drive with our feet it would be stupid.
  - gambiting 7y ago
    The difference is that they obviously use cars that are modified and certified for use with foot controls(at least here in EU they are, I wouldn't be surprised if US didn't require any certification whatsoever). You also get a restriction on your licence saying that you can only drive such vehicles. A deaf person doesn't have any restrictions - my point is that there is no functional or legal difference between a deaf person driving and a person driving with earplugs in, the law doesn't specify a requirement that you have to be able to hear to drive.
    - VBprogrammer 7y ago
      The law doesn't have to require something to make it not a good idea. My point was, I'm not deaf, but I'm fairly sure that on average deaf people are much better adapted to life with limited hearing than you or I would be when wearing ear buds. It doesn't logically follow that because a deaf person is allowed to drive we should be able to artificially reduce our hearing ability while driving.
      - brokenmachine 7y ago
        By that same logic, if someone wears ear buds every time while driving they also become adapted to driving with ear buds.
usrusr 7y ago
That's exactly what I am thinking whenever I hear music from within a car passing by. Blanking out driving noises with the car stereo is much worse for aural situational awareness than plugs could ever be.

Fantastic, someone driving a deadly vehicle responsible for 40,000 deaths every single year, and now they can't even hear anything either. Hey, but as long as you are ok, right?

TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago

The ear plugs I wear are 27dB reduction, so it's not like I can't hear anything. How do you think the 27dB reduction due to ear plug hearing protection compares to someone playing loud music in their car. Also see my other comment here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20702195 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20702195, reproduced for your benefit here: At low speeds, driving around car parks etc, the ear plugs are out and usually have all the windows at least partly open, because I’m those environments hearing can be a huge boost to situational awareness. I find above 40k/hr my hearing is better with ear plugs because it attenuates the road, wind, and engine noise more for me. Additionally, I've never been responsible for a serious accident, only a couple fender-benders when I was much younger. Also, as per the site guidelines https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html Be kind. Don't be snarky. Comments should get more thoughtful and substantive, not less, as a topic gets more divisive. Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith.

gambiting 7y ago

You do realize that deaf people can drive legally, yeah?

VBprogrammer 7y ago
People with double arm amputations can also drive but if you or I decided to go out and drive with our feet it would be stupid.
- gambiting 7y ago
  The difference is that they obviously use cars that are modified and certified for use with foot controls(at least here in EU they are, I wouldn't be surprised if US didn't require any certification whatsoever). You also get a restriction on your licence saying that you can only drive such vehicles. A deaf person doesn't have any restrictions - my point is that there is no functional or legal difference between a deaf person driving and a person driving with earplugs in, the law doesn't specify a requirement that you have to be able to hear to drive.
  - VBprogrammer 7y ago
    The law doesn't have to require something to make it not a good idea. My point was, I'm not deaf, but I'm fairly sure that on average deaf people are much better adapted to life with limited hearing than you or I would be when wearing ear buds. It doesn't logically follow that because a deaf person is allowed to drive we should be able to artificially reduce our hearing ability while driving.
    - brokenmachine 7y ago
      By that same logic, if someone wears ear buds every time while driving they also become adapted to driving with ear buds.

usrusr 7y ago

That's exactly what I am thinking whenever I hear music from within a car passing by. Blanking out driving noises with the car stereo is much worse for aural situational awareness than plugs could ever be.