Bike safety

[Michael]

If you RTFA, 90% of the argument against earbuds is that you can't hear cars. True with music, not true at all with spoken word.

I did RTFA, but I must have missed that statistic. Perhaps you can point that out in TFA. I did however read this (in the article with the subhead that reads Riding with headphones is incredibly dumb):

“Like motorists who insist that they can safely text and drive,” wrote Bicycling.com’s Neil Bezdek last December, “perhaps cyclists should skip the headphones simply because it’s unfair to take unnecessary risks in other people’s road space, regardless of personal risk tolerance.” ... "The best way to mitigate that danger is to avoid as many distractions as possible. [emphasis mine]

Yours is a distinction without a difference. I listen to Morning Edition on my way to work, and All Things Considered on the way home. And that's mostly on foot, mind you. But I'm certain that it's a distraction. Hell, that's why I do it. And on the occasions that I've tried to ride with music, I've found it to be even more so.
~m.

PS: Look up the phrase "inattentional blindness." The problem has less to do with not hearing, but with focus.

[Hayduke]

Walking? Downtown? Are you some kind of madman? Per hour, it's significantly more dangerous than cycling, so presumably walking and listening has to be more dangerous than riding and listening. Factor in downtown walking vs. back road riding where vehicle interactions are limited and the difference is bigger. Not that MDIT is a defense. We're both increasing our distraction because it's more fun than not. We both figure it's probably worth it and reliable data to quantify our estimations is slim to non-existant. Too many variables. A suburbanite walking downtown is probably at more risk walking than a practiced urbanite on his home turf, OTOH, he might be more alert and the urbanite could be on autopilot.

[Hayduke]

But I'm not getting the "distinction without a difference" bit. Seems to me you're making the same distinction and it seems like there's a continuum. Listening to different things changes the amount of distraction. I'll add that for bikers and pedestrians who use their ears as rear-view mirrors (actually I use my rearview mirror as a rearview mirror first) adding varying degrees of deafness to the mix is a significant variable, though probably less so downtown than where there aren't many cars or other sounds and you get a lot of warning over hills and around corners.

[Boris]

But I'm not getting the "distinction without a difference" bit. Seems to me you're making the same distinction and it seems like there's a continuum. Listening to different things changes the amount of distraction. I'll add that for bikers and pedestrians who use their ears as rear-view mirrors (actually I use my rearview mirror as a rearview mirror first) adding varying degrees of deafness to the mix is a significant variable, though probably less so downtown than where there aren't many cars or other sounds and you get a lot of warning over hills and around corners.

I will cheerfully flatten you with my Dumbcar no matter what you are listening to.

[Hayduke]

I suppose bike safety could start with prosecuting Boris for assault.


"Messenger boy working for Mackay Telegraph Company. Said fifteen years old. Exposed to Red Light dangers. Location: Waco, Texas."

A seat angle only Ned Ludd could love.

[Jerseyhighlander]

Time to Shed the Jeans and Birkenstocks

[shady lane]

^^^

[Knoxious]

The Donky Bike:



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[Hayduke]

[t3p]

cool sculpture by kelly brown at downtown gateway center. MP wrote about it http://www.metropulse.com/news/2012/...rowns-new-scu/