Peds with headphones
Discussion
Have had three separate incidences of people stepping into the road whilst having headphones in over the last week, anyone else noticing more and more pedestrains with a death wish, the thing is they look genuinely suprised to step into a road and find a car coming, usually teenagers but not exclusively.
Was turning into my road the other day, let the pedestrians already crossing go across, was about to move off when a dipstick with his head down, looking at his phone with earphones in wandered into the road, followed by two more!
A bit of a blast on the horn (alerting them to my presence), and they all looked as if to say "What?".
I don't really understand the mentality behind it. One day they'll get hit and wonder why.
A bit of a blast on the horn (alerting them to my presence), and they all looked as if to say "What?".
I don't really understand the mentality behind it. One day they'll get hit and wonder why.
This can be explained by science.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_selection
Don't try to fight it, just take part in it! Put your foot down and do your bit for science and society!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_selection
Don't try to fight it, just take part in it! Put your foot down and do your bit for science and society!
gog440 said:
I am seeing a lot of drivers with earphones in.
I mean WTF are they thinking? how are you supposed to hear anything thats going on with earphones in.
I do that, not with music though, just podcasts and with the volume limits on modern phones there is no danger of not hearing anything...its considerably quieter than having the radio on and at motorway speed tyre noise overwhelms it.I mean WTF are they thinking? how are you supposed to hear anything thats going on with earphones in.
Might be different for those with giant headphones and music playing though!
mikeyr said:
I do that, not with music though, just podcasts and with the volume limits on modern phones there is no danger of not hearing anything...its considerably quieter than having the radio on and at motorway speed tyre noise overwhelms it.
Might be different for those with giant headphones and music playing though!
Ah, yes, the ones that look like Murray Walker doing a bit of commentating or a Cyberman, I like music but not so much I wil compromise my senses when I need them. It's the fact they look genuinely surprised to find a car, on the road, who would of thought it !Might be different for those with giant headphones and music playing though!
As for cycling in them, maybe at very low volume but even then I use my hearing to the best of its ability on the bike, anything that compromises that, even by ten percent is a risk, on the road anyway.
I wear headphones when walking to the station in the morning but I do use my eyes and if it's busy I'll pop an ear out just so I can hear whats going on. But yes, women on phones walking around oblivious to their surroundings is common, I often get walked into or bumped and then looked at as if I just ate a baby.
Having a buddyclub exhaust with the silencers removed usually draws their attention when its louder than their music 
But yes I have noticed quite a lot of this lately, couple of months ago the car in front of me hit a child who flew out of a side ally wearing headphones on a bicycle, didn't even bother to think he may be crossing a road. He was fine though, was only about a 15mph impact. The woman driving was is a mess of shock and tears though.
But yes I have noticed quite a lot of this lately, couple of months ago the car in front of me hit a child who flew out of a side ally wearing headphones on a bicycle, didn't even bother to think he may be crossing a road. He was fine though, was only about a 15mph impact. The woman driving was is a mess of shock and tears though.
Edited by dan11219 on Friday 27th September 09:21
Happens lots here, being a student town most of the year.
Mostly with those massive cans from beats or whatever draped over their noggins, I've seen peds walking with their heads down looking at their phones. The two most important senses to not getting run over and they've blocked them off. I also see cyclists with phones in as well and they're always surprised to find that a car has suddenly appeared behind them while they've mistakenly decided its ok to now cycle slap bang in the middle of the road.
If thats not bad enough, I am seeing an increasing number of people driving with ear phones in. My next door neighbour, seems lovely, got into her mini with a big set of cans on and drove off. Absolutely mad. To make things worse, she has one of those black box things on her car! so you know, at least she is being safe by not speeding or braking a bit swiftly. Shame it hasn't got a camera in it so they can see just how daft you're being behind the wheel. Pretty bad that she'll be getting cheaper insurance than others whilst actually being LESS safe behind the wheel. Your eyes and ears are like the two key inputs for awareness on the road. Why would you cut one of them off!
Mostly with those massive cans from beats or whatever draped over their noggins, I've seen peds walking with their heads down looking at their phones. The two most important senses to not getting run over and they've blocked them off. I also see cyclists with phones in as well and they're always surprised to find that a car has suddenly appeared behind them while they've mistakenly decided its ok to now cycle slap bang in the middle of the road.
If thats not bad enough, I am seeing an increasing number of people driving with ear phones in. My next door neighbour, seems lovely, got into her mini with a big set of cans on and drove off. Absolutely mad. To make things worse, she has one of those black box things on her car! so you know, at least she is being safe by not speeding or braking a bit swiftly. Shame it hasn't got a camera in it so they can see just how daft you're being behind the wheel. Pretty bad that she'll be getting cheaper insurance than others whilst actually being LESS safe behind the wheel. Your eyes and ears are like the two key inputs for awareness on the road. Why would you cut one of them off!
jaf01uk said:
Are you saying that deaf people should be banned from driving/cycling/walking? Just saying...
Gary
No because deaf people know they can't hear, so they use their eyes and LOOK before venturing onto the road.Gary
It's the idiots who wear headphones and look at their phone more than where they're going causing the problems
Head phones when driving is odd... cars have radio/cd/mp3 players so why need headphones. If its handsfree kits with headphones, why not only use them in one ear?
Edited by leafspring on Sunday 29th September 13:02
gog440 said:
I am seeing a lot of drivers with earphones in.
I mean WTF are they thinking? how are you supposed to hear anything thats going on with earphones in.
I often drive with headphones on. Better sound quality than any car audio system! And I never have it loud enough to interfere with hearing sirens and the like. No worse than listening to the stereo, except with some of the background drone removed. In this respect, it's also a far superior way to listen to audio books. I mean WTF are they thinking? how are you supposed to hear anything thats going on with earphones in.
Whether you turn your music right up through a 'banging' sound system or a set of headphones makes little difference! Both equally as bad.
I turned into my cul-de-sac, thankfully slowly as I know the corner is totally blind and kids about etc etc, I turned onto said blind corner and found at least a dozen school kids dawdling right in the middle of the road all of them staring gawmlessly at their phones! only when I pipped my horn did they even notice a car was coming!!
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff