Listening to music while riding - harmless or hazardous?

I have always wondered with this. Is it legal to wear your ipod while riding? What hazards does it place on other road users/peds etc.

I am a bit against it personally, as the ear phones with loud music can impede ones ability to listen and concentrate on traffic etc. especially if you are riding in a group scenario. Someone with ear phones rides off while people at the rear may have had a fall etc.

What are the legalities of this, pro's & con's? For or against? Please keep the discussion civil.

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Permalink Reply by Frank on April 20, 2012 at 15:43

I stand corrected.

Its apparently legal to sip a travellar whilst driving. How bazaar!

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Permalink Reply by Derek Hasel on April 20, 2012 at 15:54

Goes to prove Frank, you should listen to your Elders :)

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Permalink Reply by Frank on April 20, 2012 at 21:23

You have a mere 22 years on me, still a youngster ur self really!
Keep up the riding and sense of humour and you will defy age!

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Permalink Reply by Clive Palfrey on April 21, 2012 at 23:32

After seeing Derek powering his way up Gorge Rd on Friday I think it only fair to say that he has already defied age.

Permalink Reply by Chris Russell on April 19, 2012 at 23:14

I used to ride with iPod in and didn't really see the issue - the earphones weren't block out and I didn't have a sense that it impeded hearing of traffic noise. However I now use a bluetooth earpiece in one ear only.

I did notice that this year's TDU community ride guide said clearly headphones were not to be worn - and appeared to imply it was a rule of participating.

Personally think that unless you are using block out earphones or playing the music particularly loud the safety impact is marginal.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Bland on April 19, 2012 at 23:42

I agree Chris ,, as long as you haven't got Metal blaring ,,and doing the involuntary head banging .

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Permalink Reply by Chris Russell on April 20, 2012 at 21:42

I used to put the record player on the handlebars to do a bit of live rapping but couldn't get the timing right with one hand.

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Permalink Reply by Bekster on April 20, 2012 at 15:04

Personally think that unless you are using block out earphones or playing the music particularly loud the safety impact is marginal.

^This... I totally agree

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Permalink Reply by Paul on April 27, 2012 at 20:31

I just read through this whole discussion for the first time, and found it really engrossing, thanks to all who posted, and Shav for bringing it up.

I always figured it was illegal, and actually never did it until I started trying to beat my own times on a particular track I used to ride through in Belair National Park on the MTB - as I figured I had no danger of cars coming up behind me, and would see anything in front of me.

I was wrong on two fronts:

1) Parks and Wildlife use cars on the dirt tracks up there, and they aren't as noisy as I expected.

2) it helps to have that sense available to you so that when you come across large nimble native animals on a track you aren't away with the Pixies (I'm pretty sure it was The Pixes - and the track was Alec Eiffel from memory). "But kangaroos are quiet anyway, how is not listening to music going to help you avoid them?" I hear you ask, and I'm glad you did: When you come across a mob around a blind corner and startle them, as I did, my advice on replacement for the boombox:

If you must have rythym while you ride, sing! You'll never need a bell! Or catch a mob of roos by surprise! Practice in the shower, it's a very endearing trait, so I'm told. Then again, I used to be a drummer, so rhythym comes easily to me, and I can no longer tell when I'm being lied to.

Seriously though, plugging in is not something I would personally do on the road.

I ride at night due to circumstances beyond my control. I have tried repeatedly to stop time so I can fit more into my day before I go home so I'm not riding in the dark, but am yet to perfect this. I think that anyone who rides at night will agree with this, as it is a topic that has been touched on here and enthusiastically debated: When one of your senses or faculties is dulled, you begin to rely on others much more - at night, I ride up Belair Road listening intently to cars coming up behind me, as the only way I have of knowing that they have seen me is listening for a change in the pitch trend of the engine as it approaches. This is something that I only became aware of when riding at night, despite later noticing the same pitch trend change during the same climb during the day. In daylight hours, we (this "we" is me and the little version of me that sits on my shoulder egging me on to do all sorts of stupid things) seemingly assume that because we are lycra clad in bright colours and stick out like the proverbial spare dick at a wedding (hopefully, anyway) we will be seen and avoided. At night, when we have functioning (again hopefully) lights on and the same brightly colored clothing, we maintain the head-down-bum-up ride we are used to during the day, praying (despite not being particularly religiously inclined) that the lights are working and we are visible to an approaching motor vehicle and that we wont have to jump a road barrier to avoid being "squashed like a bug" as someone delicately put it.

Clearly singing is unlikely to help in this situation, but I'll be buggered if being plugged into an ipod would either, at any volume!

As recommended by others elsewhere in this discussion, think briefly about what it would be like to be knocked off your bike - or perhaps something caught you by surprise when you were riding and you ended up clangering yourself across the road, over a barrier, into a tree under a B-Double - whatever - if it was avoidable by not having dulled senses, I would always take (and heartily recommend) that option - avoid it.