Among the many distractions vehicle drivers encounter on a daily basis — from eating a meal or reading to applying makeup or checking in on social media and texting — driving while wearing headphones or ear buds can extract very deadly ramifications for the driver, passengers and other fellow motorists.
Since the invention of the Sony Walkman nearly 40 years ago, portable music players like mp3 players, iPods and even smart phones give consumers access to thousands of songs at the touch of a finger. More so now than in the past, people are choosing to listen to portable music (and audio-books) everywhere they go. And this portability usually involves headphone usage.
Not only are people choosing to listen to personal music players at the gym or at work, but they are also listening to the music on headsets while operating a vehicle. Unfortunately, when a driver uses headphones while operating a vehicle, the driver places himself at a very high risk of causing a crash, serious or non-life threatening.
Obviously, sight is necessary for drivers, but they also need to rely on sound in order to avoid crashes and to arrive safely at their destination. Driving while wearing headphones severely limits the driver’s ability to hear. In order for a driver to operate a motor vehicle safely, they must pay constant attention to the road and use all of their senses to avoid crashes. Music players also cause drivers to take their hands off the wheel to either hit play or search for a song. This can be just as dangerous as talking or texting on a cellphone because the driver is not paying attention to the road 100 percent of the time.
You may ask how does wearing headphones or ear buds place me in danger?
Well, for decades motorists have been listening to music, talk radio or audio books while they drive, however this becomes much more dangerous when the audio moves from a vehicle’s speakers to headphones lodged in drivers’ ears. When you wear headphones, you will be unable to hear the following (not all-encompassing):
— Car and truck horns from other motorists
— Emergency vehicle sirens
— Crosswalk alarms
— Railroad-crossing alarms
This decreased awareness and limited hearing usually is one of the leading root-causes of drivers causing crashes. People are accustomed to the idea of listening to music in their cars; however, you only have the illusion of being alone in your car with your music. Truthfully, you are maneuvering a potentially-deadly piece of very heavy machinery around pedestrians and traffic, and if you cannot hear, you now become not nearly as effective or responsive.
There are numerous solutions which allow drivers to listen to their personal music without donning headphones. The driver can purchase adapters that transmit or redirect the music from a personal music player through the radio and vehicle speakers. Additionally, some newer-model vehicles come equipped with input-jacks that allow the music to be played directly through the vehicle’s speakers. Drivers who choose not to use these options and cause a crash can probably be held accountable.
Common-sense, which does not apply to all, would tell you that wearing headphones — those not made to communicate hands-free with a phone — while driving would be illegal, or at least stupid. But apparently it’s not that clear-cut in the majority of the 50 states in the USA. According to AAA, wearing headphones is “mostly illegal” in just four states, while it’s “mostly legal” in 33 states. In the remaining 13, it’s unclear. In some states, wearing headphones is perfectly legal; in others, it’s 10 percent illegal; and in many states, the law is a little less clear cut—for example, in some states it’s only legal to wear headphones in one ear, but not two.
In case you thought that it was perfectly legal and safe to use musical headphones while operating a vehicle, you might want to double-check your state’s law. According to AAA, in Oklahoma there is no prohibition on wearing of headsets while driving.
AAA points out — and as a safety professional, I absolutely agree — that regardless of the legality of wearing headphones in your state, listening to music on headphones while driving is a distraction, and can impair your ability to hear the sirens from emergency vehicles nearby and other important traffic sounds that would be audible if you were only listening to the radio. They further point out that a headphone cable across your lap could become tangled and present a steering hazard. Whatever you choose to do, make sure you take the law, your safety, and the safety of others on the road into account first.
Air Force Regulations are silent on the topic, instead stating in AFI 91-207, “3.6.6. The use of portable headphones, earphones, cellular phones, iPods, or other listening and entertainment devices (other than hearing aids) while walking, jogging, running, bicycling, skating or skateboarding on roadways is prohibited. Use of listening devices impairs recognition of emergency signals, alarms, announcements, approaching vehicles, human speech, and outside noise in general.”
Motorcyclists:
Are wearing headphones a bad idea while driving a motorcycle? Let’s examine the evidence:
So, it’s summertime and it’s a beautiful day. Hopefully you’ve put on your leather jacket, long pants, leather footwear and, last but not least, your helmet. But wait, just before you place your helmet on your cranium, you make the choice to place your ear buds in. Then you push the “Open Road” playlist and hit the hot asphalt. Ahhhhhh, nothing could be better than rocking out to some Bob Seger while feeling the wind on your face, right? Wrong! Nothing could be better than making it back home alive.
Regardless of how careful or alert you think you are, headphones pose an extremely hazardous threat to you, your life, and to your fellow motorists sharing the road.
The No. 1 danger of motorcycling with headphones is that they can prevent you from hearing warning signs — such as other cars, sirens, pedestrians and traffic signals (railroad bells) — around you. However, if this was not enough to keep you from using them, they pose additional threats as well.
Distractions — When riding a motorcycle, the slightest noise could pull your attention to the right or left. And, where your attention goes, your bike goes. So imagine if one ear of your headphones is louder than the other, or the background singers are softer in one ear and the lead is in the other, are you willing to take the chance that it will not affect your driving? For the sake of those around you, you should not be.
Hearing loss can occur because of the headphones being compressed in the ears by the helmet, in addition to high volume settings to combat the noise of the motorcycle.
Comfort — An additional issue for the motorcyclist to think about is “comfort” under your helmet. Anything not form-fitted to the shape of the inside of your ear literally becomes painfully irritating in a surprisingly short amount of time. And on longer trips, the longer the duration, the more the discomfort.
REMEMBER: Nothing is better than making it back home alive.
So the next time you strap your helmet, leave the headphones at home. Instead, opt for handlebar speakers or helmet speakers that distribute noise evenly, softly and safely.
HEARING PROTECTION: It is acceptable to wear foam-inserts to protect your hearing while riding a motorcycle. The inserts do not interfere with outside emergency sounds.
Everyone must continue to practice (personal) Risk Management and stay focused on the Quest-For-Zero goals!
(Some contents of this article thanks to the Nashville lawyers at pohlberk.com; the South Carolina lawyers at appletoncaraccidentlawyer.com; autoguide.com; AAA.com; the Maryland lawyers at lawyersnetwork.com; and the Oklahoma lawyers at abellawfirm.com.)