dont ride with your headphones on!

[legrandefromage]

One of the part time members of staff rides with his headphones on - he was giving it the beans on his SS last night after work and his mate shouted 'car'


'CAR'



'CARRRR'



The rest is rather nasty I'm afraid.

He went into the back of a parked MPV, through the rear window, ripping his bottom lip over his jawbone plus smashing all of his front teeth out. The glass embedded itself into his arms and face leaving nasty deep cuts.

Luckily, he was wearing some Oakley's so his eyes were saved. One lens popped and one was badly scratched so you can imagine what would have happened without them on.

...


Jay is ok as ok can be undergoing emergency plastic surgery. Best wishes to him and to Ross for having to look after him until the ambulance arrived.

The bikes' front wheel is almost touching the back, thats how fast he was going...!

 

[Tazio]

I have never ridden with headphones on, and never will. I had partial hearing loss last summer and felt very vulnerable not being able to hear as well as I normally could when cycling in town.

Hope the lad recovers alright.

 

[REKIBorter]

Ouch! Send our best wishes to the fella. Hope he is back on the bike sooner than expected.

 

[Drencrom]

Jesus, that's awful. Best wishes to him.

I can't imagine riding with headphones myself - it's just so dangerous. My youngest brother got taken out at a cycle crossing on a busy (40mph) road a couple of years back - he had the cans on and saw the traffic lights go red so rode through, unfortunately for him the sun was low in the sky, so a Rover plowed straight through - didn't see the lights or him. He took a massive hit but he had his skater style lid on, which saved him according to the doctors at A&E - the convulsions were pretty nasty though. He was a lucky boy though, he was back out on a bike the following week. But if he hadn't have had the headphones on, he's sure he would've heard the car.

'Tis a dangerous world out there, and making it harder to survive isn't my thing at all.

 

[velomaniac]

Why are headphones dangerous, car drivers sit cocooned in a soundproofed box with the stereo cranked up but its deemed not an issue.
Observation is as important as hearing.

This said i dont wish pain in anyone, hope he recovers

 

[Tad]

Why are headphones dangerous, car drivers sit cocooned in a soundproofed box with the stereo cranked up but its deemed not an issue.
Observation is as important as hearing.

This said i dont wish pain in anyone, hope he recovers

Car drivers sit cocooned in their air bag festooned safety cells where as we are protected from the ground by a polystyrene piss pot and a layer or two of some man made fiber or other (merino for some).

Whilst we don't guide our way through the traffic like a bat listening to reflected noise, having the ability to hear someone yelling a plainly obvious warning like CAR at you is a bonus. How many times have you heard a car first then had your attention drawn to it? You hear them behind you. They fit the things with horns for a reason.

 

[suburbanreuben]

So why was he unable to see a car in front of him himself?

 

[Drencrom]

Why are headphones dangerous, car drivers sit cocooned in a soundproofed box with the stereo cranked up but its deemed not an issue.
Observation is as important as hearing.

This said i dont wish pain in anyone, hope he recovers

It's probably about the way that headphones/earbuds create a sense of detachment that a car stereo doesn't - at relative volumes. I'm talking like-for-like on an iPod, for example. I'd argue that a car is less soundproof than a decent set of headphones.

It is down to the individual, of course - the key is to pay attention. But when you've got that killer tune blaring in your ears after a stressful day at work...

 

[Tazio]

So why was he unable to see a car in front of him himself?

As stated in the OP he was going for it speedwise and probably had his head down.

It sounds unlikely I know but a friend of my mothers lost her son to a bike crash when he went into the back of a bus. It had stopped and he didn't notice as he was charging as fast as he could.

 

[suburbanreuben]

So the thread could equally be called "look where you're going"... :roll: