The Legality of Wearing Headphones While Driving...

[bobthemonkey]

There is no general prohibition on using headphones, although I suspect the fact they were used could be used a evidence of a more general motoring offence such was DWDCA.

[Sparky137]

richyb said:

Totally deaf people can drive legally in the UK so why would headphones make a difference?

The difference is that totally deaf people are used to the lack of hearing and have learned to compensate for their lack of hearing. A person wearing headphones has not naturally developed any method of compensating for the loss of hearing caused by wearing the headphones.

Incidentally, a person I work with has been prosecuted for wearing headphones whilst driving and this information was from him.

[mccarn]

richyb said:

Totally deaf people can drive legally in the UK so why would headphones make a difference?

Think half the folk on the road are totally blind too!

[Garett]

The law is a complete farce if you can be prosecuted for wearing headphones. Many stereos, especially if it is after-market, or in a luxury car that is quiet anyway, can be turned up loud enough to mask exterior noise.

[MrChips]

groomi said:

No. I do however drive a Westfield in which the wind noise is deafening on a long journey. I would like to do some longer drives in it, say to the beach or Le Mans etc. but would like to listen to some music and have some respite from the wind noise.

'Tis a simple question really and a couple of people on this thread need to dismount their high horses and join in with the reasoned debate everyone else is having.

Just a word of warning (from experience) on using headphones in order to drown out the wind noise... you can very easily damage your hearing and end up with Tinnitus. I used to cycle everywhere when I was 15/16 and used headphones all the time. It's only when you stop somewhere quiet that you realise that you've actually been playing music at full blast for quite a long time!

There's a few threads running in the BB forum about it too, and I guess the wind noise in the Westie is pretty much as bad as being on a bike.

I would definitely suggest just getting some proper earplugs and enjoying the drive. You'll still be able to hear emergency services sirens etc, which I doubt you would if you were listening to music through headphones.

[reg_slr]

DSM2 said:

On that basis is it then illegal towear a crash helmet in such as an Atom or Caterham etc?

I doubt it but who know's with the standard of taffic police we have to put up with in the UK?

[spyder dryver]

So what about wearing earplugs? I often do so on long journeys. Could this result in prosecution? Many bikers wear them all the time.
I doubt if the sound deadening effect of earplugs in an open top car is any greater than the almost total isolation found in many modern, hermetically sealed tin-tops.
Geoff.

[Murph7355]

Just use ear plugs or wear a helmet.

Some thoughts on some of the previous comments:

- deaf people. They aren't being distracted by music (being played at a loud volume). I think there's a difference (plus as others have mentioned, they are used to not being able to hear and so compensate).

- loud stereos being just as bad. Very true. But I would guess if you were in an accident and the feds could prove you had the music turned up to 11, you would probably suffer a similar fate. And listening to a stereo in a "room" (in the car) is very different (IME) to listening through in ear headphones. The immersion feelings are very different.

- crash helmets. I wear one in my aeroscreened car. I am fully aware at all times of what's going on around me and can even hear what's occurring pretty well. It is definitely not the same as listening to music through headphones.

- hands free kits. Are these not usually mono. So you have an ear "free"?

The point about damaging your hearing is a very valid one too.

There are a ton of contradictions in the motoring rule book. I guess the first test is, do you really think it's safe to do this?

[moribund]

Don't rally drivers wear full ear-defender headsets with intercoms on road sections? They have to be legal on the road, so that suggests it's allowed?

I've worn ear-plugs even in my car on long journeys, the wind noise at speed is pretty wearing.

[aelord]

Headphone wearing at the wheel is not specifically illegal, and no more prosecutable than other potentially distracting activities such as eating, listening to the stereo etc.

If it were made illegal then one would have to question whether very well sound insulated cars would also need to be required to remove some of their sound insulation!