Originally Posted by
Succhia Ruota
I have no opinion about the safety of wearing earbuds while cycling. I have no judgement to pass on those that do vs. those that don't. It's merely a matter of preference as far as I'm concerned.
I think that making a false equivalence between driving a car and riding a bike undermines your argument. In my opinion – and dare I say, conventional wisdom – the risks and hazards between the two are vastly different.
When I ride, I put myself at greater risk to injury than when I drive.
When I drive, I put others at greater risk to injury than when I ride.
The risk of an activity neednt be considered when discussing if an action within that activity is smart or not.
Sure, the risk level is different between the two. But my comments that you take issue with are based not on risk, but rather on distraction. I was responding to a claim that listening to music while riding a bike is distracting. I attempted to point out that its absurd to claim people shouldnt wear ear buds when riding due to distraction when (i would guess) that many who vilify ear buds find it perfectly acceptable to listen to the same music in a noise reduced vehicle. Distraction is distraction to me.
I rely on sight over sound when riding(and driving), even though I can hear vehicles near me.
A lot of trust and verification goes into safely cycling on roads. Like that old guy said- trust but verify. I dont need full hearing to trust or verify while riding. This is quite nice for me since, you know, I cant hear much of anything once I reach the high teens due to wind noise.