All my listening [in my car] is through headphones off my phone.
This is unsafe at best. Illegal at worst.
I spend a lot of time in traffic, and this is very very common. Usually younger drivers, I have android auto so it doesn’t interest me. Cops don’t seem to care
Nonsense, how is it either?
Too loud? I’m a musician, I value my hearing, so I don’t play anything too loud. I always use earbuds, so I can always hear emergency vehicles. Besides, I’ve heard plenty of car speaker systems that were loud enough to block out sirens easily.
Illegal? In what way? In states that have banned holding phones, they encourage hands-free phone calls. If speaking on the phone is considered a distraction, then why isn’t speaking to another passenger, or listening to music? Both would be just as distracting as a hands free call. Modern cars all connect to a cell phone automatically, and take calls through the speaker system. If it’s illegal, then why are car companies allowed to install them as standard equipment? I don’t use that system only because I like the audio quality of my ear buds far more.
By your logic, sound systems and phones in cars should just be totally illegal.
Edit: Wow, I thought there were a lot of judgemental old ladies on Reddit, I expected less on Lemmy. Time to ban sound systems and passengers because we can’t have anybody getting the slightest bit distracted. I don’t know what the problem is anyway, in my city, the traffic is so bad at any tine of the day, that nobody can drive over 25 mph, even on the highway.
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Only 6 states ban headphones in both ears.
I’ve driven hundreds of thousands of miles, and never had anyone question it. I’m not stopping now.
Its illegal to drive with headphones in most of Europe. You can use a one-ear headpiece to make calls, but not full blown headphones.
This, along a bunch of other rules that I’m sure you think are absolutely stupid, are probably why so many Americans die on road accidents when compared to the rest of the world.
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Don’t let it hurt your ego.
Where’s your source?
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Headphones are considered like ear plugs. A tendency to block out surrounding noises like horns and sirens.
I use earbuds, not headphones, but use the terms interchangeably. I don’t have any problems hearing emergency vehicles. If you are using them so loudly you can’t hear sirems, then you are going to go deaf soon anyway, and by your logic, deaf people shouldn’t be allowed to drive, right?
And whether you can hear properly or not, it’s still not illegal.
Looks like it’s illegal in 17 states, some with various exemptions for using a single earbud either for anything or for select purposes only.
Depending on the earbud/phone design, even if off they can really reduce your ability to hear the world. Sure playing an open stereo too loud can have a similar effect, but it’s much easier to drown out things when your ear is stuffed or fully covered, without some sort of audio passthrough system.
In most states that don’t have specific laws about them its considered distracted driving. I wouldn’t wear them because it opens you up to legal scrutiny if you do fuck up while driving. Insurance will throw you under the bus the moment they can prove you had headphones on.
Counterpoint: Deaf people are allowed to drive
