Cycling UK Forum

after several years of doing so, i have recently been informed that listening to personal stereo equipment through earphones while cycling is illegal, as it impares your hearing and therefor you are less aware of what is going on around you IS THIS TRUE? it seems daft to me as pedestrians, and car drivers can listen to their music as loud as they want with apparently no restrictions, why are cyclists being singled out?

It is a little unfair that no other group has regulations (except for excess noise) and music can be distracting for both pedestrians and drivers too. However, cyclists need to hear the traffic more than motorists (who can hardly hear in theior cars anyway) and pedestrians, well they have barely any rules at all.

Cyclists are only being singled out for the attention of the law, wherever the law happens to be, mainly in densely used/popluated areas.

Andy's comment makes me think of the much greater riskes that M cyclists take. They cannot hear because of the noise of their machines,
so they think what the hell let's use intercoms as well, and have helmets which inhibit any hearing at all. some Mc helmets are made to hear external sounds but they are specials, for people who think it important to be able to.

Let's not dwell on motorbikes 40x as risky as a car per mile

but is it true? are cyclists specifically committing an offence if listening to radio or other music via headphones? i often do this and am not aware that it impairs my awareness. i use a helmet mirror and try to always be aware of the road and the traffic. i do take the headphones off in towns, though. most of my cycling is in rural Scotland

Does it matter if you take the phones off at any place where you are likely to find a copper?
Just think of it as a curious anomaly of either the law or your own received opinions of the law.
As I said I travelled NZ like that without a helmet ,
where it is required by law.
It is another good way of fighting shy of coppers.

This is a myth. There is no ban on using personal stereos or whatever when cycling.

If you're in any doubt about this it's easy to check the online Highway Code. Beyond some general advice not to distracted by loud music, there's nothing about it.

That still doesn't stop the use of such equipment, by a cyclist or pedestrian alike, being considered contributory negligence in the case of an accident.

As a retired motorcyclist I can confirm that you cannot hear anything when your ears are stuffed with ear plugs that save your hearing from the wind noise made from your helmet !
I use headphones when cycling and use my motorcycling observational habits to keep an eye out for all the idiot road users out there !
just keep your eyes open !!

I don't think the law concerning using mobile phones whilst drving will include a cyclist listening to music (radio) but please use a bit of common sense. It is much better not to have an earphone in your right ear. You may not hear the music as clearly but you won't hear it at all when you are dead!

Why not listen to the birds instead?

kufala may be increasing his cycling risk much nearer to the Mc risk level of 40x the number of accidents for motorists by using headphones with a push bike just as he does on the Motor b.

Bike dunc suggests that a bike law re music will be made, and it would make a great deal of sense to have one, far, far more important
than helfuc****mets Helmets even give the idea that music is viable because it is much more like motorbike intercoms to use it/have it.

Another nail in the Helmet coffin, and the circumstances in which they are needed.....
idiot push bikers on main trunk roads.

Helmets are not designed to withstand colisions with motor vehicles. Thus they surely are more use on a cycletrack where, with the current standard of construction, a low speed fall is far more likely?

From the "idiot" who (occasionally when necessary) uses main trunk roads (with great care) (and is fine so far)

If you are a long distance speed cyclists rather than endurance, I can't see any alternative to using the main trunk roads. You would be much safer on the French roads. I agree entirely that on the track and racing alongside others who may well knock you off by their actions, helmets are absolutely essential. Aren't there some who still don't wear them in the tour?
The front wheel of a racing bike is all in all a precision tool,/instrument and base over apex fall at speed will save you from most injury , and even from up coming motors.

The collisons and accidents which are highlighted a dozen times after a tour étape are just the sort of thing that make Mummy say
"Oh you must wear a helemt! Is is so dangerous!" to children going out onto the quiet street/common to play.

The previous comment and comparison between cycling and Mcycling for the purpose of Music and helmets was, I thought, Instructive, even if a bit of it was mine.

Helmets were only made compulsory in the tour in 1995 and many rider refused to wear one long after. Despite this only 2 riders have died in over 100 years of the tour: Tom Simpson (nothing to do with a helmet) and Fabio Casartelli, from a crash that resulted in bad head injuries. The pictures of Fabio Casartelli could really inspire you to wear a helmt, or sriously scare you away from cycling, as could many pictures from the tour. It isn't a bad safety record though, and a friend of mine has asserted that a helmet would not have saved the unfortunate Casartelli.
Both were tragedies but the tour goes on and why not?

Of course sport is about measuring your risks, isn't it? I get calluses on my tiddling thumb.

Talking of helmets where does the word "Lid" come from for a Biker's helmet? It must have a cockney origin but I can't see the rhyming connection.

is "lid" not just a contraction of "skid lid", which I imagine just sounded like a good euphamism?

er...have we got off the subject of music and cycling, then. not more stuff about helmets surely...