J
jsteinb95
Do you think it's dangerous to listen to ipod/mp4 player while riding? It's not the same as ear plugs (Danny)
-
Welcome to the Yamaha FZ6 Forums. Member registration disables ads and allows you to post and share. Register Here.
GAH
Member
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2007
- Messages
- 77
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
- Location
- Longview, Washington USA
I guess it depends on the volume really (I have done though).
Northern
Junior Member
What about radio in a car? Is dangerous too?
I think it's not dangerous, until it keeps you on the ground and don't take you to the "wonderful world of music". :rockon:
I believe it to be dangerous on two fronts. First the volume needs to be a level that could cause damage to your hearing, and secondly it is so totally different to a radio in a car. A radio in a car, if played at a sensible level still allows your hearing to notice aditional noises. Earphones remove this completely as they totally isolate one of our most important senses.
When I was a motorcycle courier It used to get really boring on the longer journeys. I found that I had more close calls with ear phones in than when I wired up a stereo. I would lose concentration easier, and then before I knew it there was a cage cutting accross me. I also found that if a situation arose where I needed to act quickly my judgement was as good.
I'm not totally against it but you do need to be very careful. Another problem is the earphones themselves. If the cable gets caught then they lose contact with your ears. I found that as a result of this I wasn't moving my head as much to look over my shoulder.
Cheers
Neil
Last edited:
I agree. There was a study done that showed Ipod's earphone were poorly designed, not allowing for those same outside noises to come in thereby completely blocking OUT that much needed sense of hearing to the outside world. Interesting though it also blocked IN the sounds further adding insult to injury to one's hearing.
W
wrightme43
I use them occasionally, and have not experinced any problems. I have not used them in dense traffic or on the interstate where your sense of hearing really is important. It really depends on where you will be riding that day. If your going to go to Mammoth Cave, and ride down tiny little back roads, it doesnt matter. I believe if you were going to ride in heavy traffic or areas where a cage could come up along side of you it would be a bad idea.
Pretty much like everything else, it just depends. LOL
Pretty much like everything else, it just depends. LOL
i have some helmet specific speakers in my helmet that provide sound to me but not in ear headphones so that i can still hear what is going on around me so i take it in this setup as the same as a car radio.
CanadianFZ6
Member
We need all our skills and senses to stay as safe as possible while riding. We need all our wits about us as well... to reduce one sense on purpose is just plain dumb IMO. Remember, we don't have the luxury of a car's seat belt, airbag and steel/aluminum frame to protect us in the event of a crash. Remember those news articles of a guy killed by a train because he was wearing a iPOD/Walkman while walking along the railway tracks? He couldn't hear the train coming.... You can extrapolate as you wish from this... Makes sense though, when you look at it that way...
J
jsteinb95
:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: I agree 100%
Northern
Junior Member
The main words are "sensible level". Same is with a bike.
By the way - raiding a motorcycle is dangerous. Like everything in this world.
CanadianFZ6
Member
Right... but you don't need to make even more dangerous by reducing your margin of safety further with a reduction in one or more of your senses. Do you ride with a hand over one eye or sunglasses at night? Obviously not, right?
OneTrack
Super Member
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2007
- Messages
- 1,171
- Reaction score
- 6
- Points
- 0
- Location
- Richmond, BC, Canada
Earplugs greatly reduce the sense of hearing, but I don't consider that "dumb".
What about riders who are deaf? (I know one and he does just fine). If a rider is distracted by something as innocuous as music, then he/she shouldn't be riding at all. A bad day at the office or at home can distract one while riding....we've all replayed the day's events in our heads while riding.CanadianFZ6 said:
I think we're all well aware of that.
CanadianFZ6 said:
No, it doesn't "make sense". That's quite a stretch, don't you think? He was an idiot, pure and simple. The Canadian Way is to "extrapolate" an isolated incident into the Rules of Life. The only "extrapolation" that I would make from that incident is don't walk down railroad tracks listening to an iPod/Walkman. Period.
I got an iPod for Christmas, and I do intend to use it on long rides on my bike. If I do find it distracting, I will let you all know.
I voted "no" in the poll, btw, because I don't believe in generalizing or using the Royal "We" about what 'we' should or shouldn't be doing. It's an individual, personal choice base on rights, and fully understanding our responsibilities as adults, and our willingness to accept the consequences of our actions.
CanadianFZ6
Member
Earplugs greatly reduce the sense of hearing, but I don't consider that "dumb".
I think we're all well aware of that.
No, it doesn't "make sense". That's quite a stretch, don't you think? He was an idiot, pure and simple. The Canadian Way is to "extrapolate" an isolated incident into the Rules of Life. The only "extrapolation" that I would make from that incident is don't walk down railroad tracks listening to an iPod/Walkman. Period.
I got an iPod for Christmas, and I do intend to use it on long rides on my bike. If I do find it distracting, I will let you all know.
I voted "no" in the poll, btw, because I don't believe in generalizing or using the Royal "We" about what 'we' should or shouldn't be doing. It's an individual, personal choice base on rights, and fully understanding our responsibilities as adults, and our willingness to accept the consequences of our actions.
I guess the question should have been... "Does the reduction in one or more of your senses decrease the margin of safety when you ride"... The obvious answer is yes... So if listening to an iPOD reduces your hearing of the environment around you, does this reduce your margin of saftey? If it takes you a split second longer to react to that car horn (because of Celine Dion rapping to you) then does that constitute a negative safety issue? You decide...
S
sportrider
while that statment is true, I don't rely on my seatbelt to keep me safe in my truck. I prefer to use the steering wheel :thumbup:
well said!!!
that is my plan, how ever I'm going to gut a pair of regular head phones and mount the speakers inside my helmet under the liner so they stay put.
CanadianFZ6
Member
As for ear plugs, the jury is still out for me on that one. I do wear them on the highways because of wind noise. They do make me nervous, though. I find myself compensating for the reduced hearing by scanning more with my eyes. Checking over my shoulder and such. On a few occasions, I was caught off by a semi creeping up beside me in the lane next to me and I never heard them coming.Earplugs greatly reduce the sense of hearing, but I don't consider that "dumb".
I think we're all well aware of that.
No, it doesn't "make sense". That's quite a stretch, don't you think? He was an idiot, pure and simple. The Canadian Way is to "extrapolate" an isolated incident into the Rules of Life. The only "extrapolation" that I would make from that incident is don't walk down railroad tracks listening to an iPod/Walkman. Period.
I got an iPod for Christmas, and I do intend to use it on long rides on my bike. If I do find it distracting, I will let you all know.
I voted "no" in the poll, btw, because I don't believe in generalizing or using the Royal "We" about what 'we' should or shouldn't be doing. It's an individual, personal choice base on rights, and fully understanding our responsibilities as adults, and our willingness to accept the consequences of our actions.
Last edited:
CanadianFZ6
Member
Drunk drivers tried to use that argument.... No problems though, just let me know which roads you are riding so I can avoid them.
The earphone issue
During my time as a motorcycle courier I ran over a pedestrian. I was filtering at 15mph. The traffic was at a standstill. My traffic lights were on green. He ran out into the road. Ignoring the do not cross signal and I hit him. I was trucking angry with him as it smashed my head light (bike only 2 months old). I picked myself of the floor and ran over to him and started ranting. He pissed himself. I was delighted. He kept saying "I'm sorry I didn't hear you". The thing is hs was distracted by the music, he didn't even look.
If you have an accident whilst listening to you Ipod. It would be difficult to argue that you were driving with due course and attention. If im correct the manufactures recomend that the item is not used whilst operating machinery?
During my time as a motorcycle courier I ran over a pedestrian. I was filtering at 15mph. The traffic was at a standstill. My traffic lights were on green. He ran out into the road. Ignoring the do not cross signal and I hit him. I was trucking angry with him as it smashed my head light (bike only 2 months old). I picked myself of the floor and ran over to him and started ranting. He pissed himself. I was delighted. He kept saying "I'm sorry I didn't hear you". The thing is hs was distracted by the music, he didn't even look.
If you have an accident whilst listening to you Ipod. It would be difficult to argue that you were driving with due course and attention. If im correct the manufactures recomend that the item is not used whilst operating machinery?
Northern
Junior Member
Yes. But I'm just trying to say, what there is some compromise in everything. You have to admit, what it is much safer to wear a helmet ant throw out the radio from you car, when you driving it, but you obviously don't do that.
As for me - I'm listen my mp3 player when I'm riding on a highways, course it is too annoying to put a headphones under my helmet every time I put it on in a city.
W
wrightme43
Again back to the this is something that can not be black and white.
Ear plugs reduce all sounds equally. The rider can still hear every sound around them, JUST AT A REDUCED LEVEL! All the sounds are equally there, all the differeintal sounds are still there. The whack jobs that fight helmet use are the ones using the I cant hear with a helmet on argument.
I am not using earplug type speakers. I am using a over the ear speaker. I can hear my tires. I can hear my engine. I cant hear the vehicles behind me. I cant hear them with the speakers in or not. I can't hear the vehicles in front of me untill it is way to late to do anything about them, speakers in or not. I cant hear the vehicles sitting at stops left or right speakers in or not.
Vison is at least 90% more like 99% of the decision making input.
I use a riding strategy that makes me the overtaking vehicle, it is very very rare that I am passed. When I am it is at a point of my choice by using my throttle or even braking to decide where I will be passed. I do not allow vehicles to be alongside me. If they are not there they cant run me over.
If I get hit wearing a ipod I would of got hit not wearing a ipod. A broad generalization that I cant be safe wearing my ipod speakers is wrong. Its just that simple. YOU may not be safe wearing your ipod but because you arent does not mean I am not.
(I used to be a SONAR man on a fast attack nuclear submarine. I am very very very very good at identifing sounds, and where they are in relation to me. I can draw a picture of what is going around me with sound. I dont use this skill on my bike. I use my eyes.)
Ear plugs reduce all sounds equally. The rider can still hear every sound around them, JUST AT A REDUCED LEVEL! All the sounds are equally there, all the differeintal sounds are still there. The whack jobs that fight helmet use are the ones using the I cant hear with a helmet on argument.
I am not using earplug type speakers. I am using a over the ear speaker. I can hear my tires. I can hear my engine. I cant hear the vehicles behind me. I cant hear them with the speakers in or not. I can't hear the vehicles in front of me untill it is way to late to do anything about them, speakers in or not. I cant hear the vehicles sitting at stops left or right speakers in or not.
Vison is at least 90% more like 99% of the decision making input.
I use a riding strategy that makes me the overtaking vehicle, it is very very rare that I am passed. When I am it is at a point of my choice by using my throttle or even braking to decide where I will be passed. I do not allow vehicles to be alongside me. If they are not there they cant run me over.
If I get hit wearing a ipod I would of got hit not wearing a ipod. A broad generalization that I cant be safe wearing my ipod speakers is wrong. Its just that simple. YOU may not be safe wearing your ipod but because you arent does not mean I am not.
(I used to be a SONAR man on a fast attack nuclear submarine. I am very very very very good at identifing sounds, and where they are in relation to me. I can draw a picture of what is going around me with sound. I dont use this skill on my bike. I use my eyes.)
