Ipod Use Whilst Riding

[FlyinCustard]

Whats the general view on use of Ipods/MP3 players etc whilst riding? Are they too much of a distraction as we already have a lot to think about compared to cage driver?

Or do people find they have no affect on their concentration?

Also if you use one do you use both earphones or just one?

If I use my Ipod i tend to only use my left earphone so I can hear any emergancy vehicals etc coming past me:D

Cheers All

[Kuze]

Depends on the music good bit of metallica or pantera does make me drive more aggressively!

On occassion for boring motorway trips I'll use it but not when i'm out for fun.

I think the big problem is it may not be legal or its extremely dodgy if the cops catch u using it :(.

[speedplay]

I use earplugs when riding as I find the wind noise frustrating after a while.
I decided to try the mp3 player on my new mobile the other week (16 gig in a mobile?! whats that all about?).
I still use earplugs and pop the earpieces alongside the plugs and you can hear the music ok.
I cant hear it above 85, sorry 70mph but its great when at slower speeds.

I did find that I made it to work 10 mins quicker so be careful what you listen to ;)

[Jamiebridges123]

I used to do it quite alot before I changed my lid (now they won't fit) and found it of very little difference. I didn't ride any differently and it wasn't dangerous.

[SoulKiss]

Please search on "Headphones"

This discussion has been done to death at least twice in the last month.

Hitlers iPod I guess.....

[metalmonkey]

Depends on the music good bit of metallica or pantera does make me drive more aggressively!

On occassion for boring motorway trips I'll use it but not when i'm out for fun.

I think the big problem is it may not be legal or its extremely dodgy if the cops catch u using it :(.

Do you listen to music when you a drive car? Most people do so whats the difference, anything can be a distraction if interfers with vehicle control or the rider/driver.

I don't as my MP3 player is broken, I have to wear plugs, my lid is nosiy without them. I may do on a really long trips, when I fix the dam thing.

[Kuze]

Do you listen to music when you a drive car? Most people do so whats the difference, anything can be a distraction if interfers with vehicle control or the rider/driver.

I don't as my MP3 player is broken, I have to wear plugs, my lid is nosiy without them. I may do on a really long trips, when I fix the dam thing.

I'm fine with people using em but i dont want trouble with the cops over it :P.

Also i dont drive a car i ride in sun rain or snow :P

[hob]

I can hear the same with or without earphones, only have it at the level just above which drowns out the background noise, wind etc..

[yorkie_chris]

Depends on the music good bit of metallica or pantera does make me drive more aggressively!

On occassion for boring motorway trips I'll use it but not when i'm out for fun.

I think the big problem is it may not be legal or its extremely dodgy if the cops catch u using it :(.

Nah it's not illegal.

I use mp3 player most of the time unless I'm only going a couple of mile. Don't find it affects my riding though maybe I normally ride in a heavy metal style :smt033http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:HmE424k_13556M:http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s38/Knikhorse/forum%2520smilies/Heavymetalsmiley.gif

[zobers]

I found listening to music makes me ride a lot faster, dangerously fast- so i don't do it. Would if i thought it wouldn't effect me though.

[phil24_7]

I listen to music on long jaunts but on weekend hoons (obeying the speed limits officer) I just use plugs. Doesn't affect my riding too much but loud music (which is the only way I enjoy listening to music) hinders my ability to think a little when hooning as I like to mentally talk through corners/traffic etc.

[Thingus]

Mr PC pc pulled over someone i was talking to and he was told it was illegal... but i was sure i'd seen it wasn't on a thread here.

Too loud and it's dangerous, a little bit is quite good i reckon, but i'm just gonna leave them out, easier.

[theshed]

I found listening to music makes me ride a lot faster, dangerously fast- so i don't do it. Would if i thought it wouldn't effect me though.
Try listening to something a bit more tranquil then music to calm the beast so to speak
find it helps listening through the autocom as volume stays at a relaxed level at all speeds now if only i could stop the interference on this radio

[G]

I like to hear exactly what is going on with the bike and what around me to be honest. If I was on a seriously long journey that was boring I would contemplate it but for hooning and having fun I dont think its a good idea.

[Jamiebridges123]

I could still hear the sound of my Z750 with a standard pipe over Pendulum..

[Spikenipple]

I listen to music on any journey over 15 minutes from A to B, about 3 quarters volume on the iPod with in-ear, noise attenuating earphones.

[BanditPat]

Before my crappy iPod headphones broke the inner ear ones i paid £35 for i did a lot I cant see it being illegal as long as it isn't making your ride out side the confines of the law. One thing is when i use my iPod i don't get as aggressive but i seem to think that I'm Valentino Rossi, I should be Rossi but they wont let me, Oh well.

[kwak zzr]

u cant concentrate riding whilst listening to music.

[BanditPat]

u cant concentrate riding whilst listening to music.


Maybe you can't. Not every one is the same. If you cant concentrate when riding then technically you shouldn't be able to when your driving a car.

[yorkie_chris]

u cant concentrate riding whilst listening to music.

I'll make my own mind up on that one cheers.

[kwak zzr]

i find a bike more technically challenging and after a long ride i am mentally drained, i dont get that in a car but like you say everyones diff.

[-Ralph-]

It's not illegal, the plod shouldn't say a word about it, if they do tell them to go jump 'cos they've crossed the line between enforcing the law and advising on safety, into telling you how to live your life.

It doesn't distract me at all, but then I can sit and concentrate on work on my laptop with a two year old playing in the room. I only tend to realise the music is there on boring straight bits when usually I'd be thinking about how sore my ar$e was.

Since boredom contributes to rider fatigue, you could argue that for some riders in some situations like a long motorway run, it actually improves safety. Ever found yourself singing or talking to yourself struggling to maintain concentration and battle fatigue on a long run? I have, but never yet when I have had music on, I always try to have a good selection of stuff with good lyrics to sing along to on a long boring run.

I have sony fontopia in ear headphones which make a seal like an earplug, and I can hear them at any speed that I ride at. I'd love an in-helmet audio system with a 3.5mm jack that could plug into any accessory, but waiting 'til I have that money to burn.

So long as your not the kind of person where it distracts you (in which case why is it safe in the car?) the only problem that you could have with music, is that if you had an accident it could be deemed a contributing factor by somebody whose job it is to decide blame, probably sombody who has never sat on a motorbike and listens to music in his car every day.

[theshed]

how can it be illegal plods got a radio of sorts in his ear all the time

[Thingus]

That's what i said to the guy but plod apparently told him to take it out or he'd be done for driving without due care or something... he got pulled for doing 30 in a 20 which he got away with.

[-Ralph-]

That's what i said to the guy but plod apparently told him to take it out or he'd be done for driving without due care or something... he got pulled for doing 30 in a 20 which he got away with.

It's definately not illegal, causes no more of a distraction than a radio in a car and no more of an affliction on your hearing than a good pair of ear plugs and I assume the guy had not done anything to suggest it was affecting his riding or had any bearing on him doing 30 in a 20. The charge simply wouldn't stand up in court.

[yorkie_chris]

In that situation then it's far better to just say "oh I'm very sorry occifer I didn't know" and STFU!

Or unless you want to win the arguement and get the 3 points for speeding? Seems like a hollow victory that one :-P

[missyburd]

If listening to music is supposed to be distracting then what about rider to pillion intercoms? I'd have thought they were much worse. Yes you can argue they're a bit distracting but I think having a conversation in a car with a passenger nattering away is on the same level. As people say everyone is different and as long as you know how you react to such things then it doesn't matter what everyone else thinks.

[chakraist]

I have always listened to music when riding, but I have to keep it down a bit so I can hear sirens- got pulled over once and was oblivious to the sirens- whoops!

[-Ralph-]

In that situation then it's far better to just say "oh I'm very sorry occifer I didn't know" and STFU!

Or unless you want to win the arguement and get the 3 points for speeding? Seems like a hollow victory that one :-P

Yeah, I wouldn't suggest arguing with the officer at the scene, just ride round the corner and put them back in, but if a copper did write me a ticket for it i'd be making my case in court (don't think you can get fixed penalty for due care anyway can you? Always a court case I think). I wouldn't lie down easily to one mans opinion of it being driving without due care. I'd be very interested to hear of anyone being convicted by a court when there was no evidence that it was affecting their riding. Now if Chakraist had been written a ticket it may have stood up as he didn't hear the sirens so the music clearly had some effect on his riding 'cos the volume was too high.

[Samurai Penguin]

http://www.safermotoring.co.uk/using-ipod-while-driving.html

If you are involved in a crash and the police find evidence that you were distracted by the use of an electronic device then you leave yourself wide open to the prospect of being prosecuted by the police – and don’t be fooled into thinking it’s a minor offence because at best you’ll find yourself facing a fine and points on your licence. If the police believe that the accident occurred as a result of you failing to keep proper control of the vehicle, or driving without due care and attention then this could land you in Court.

The police have previously treated driving while distracted as careless driving, meaning that the motorist was guilty of not driving in a “competent and careful" way. This could lead to a maximum fine of £5,000 and penalty points on the offender’s licence. However, following a policy revision in December 2007,will now be treated as dangerous driving - meaning that the driver was “avoidably and dangerously distracted”. If charged and found guilty, drivers face a 2 year prison sentence. Take note that this policy revision does not relate specifically to mobile phones, it also applies to satellite navigation systems, iPods and MP3 players, and can be extended to similar devices that distract motorists from their driving.

It appears that there is no specific law against riding whilst listening to an iPod, and one could argue that listening to music is not distracting but using the buttons on the iPod would be.

However, should you be unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident (where you were at fault or the innocent victim) then is does seem likely that you would not only leave yourself open to prosecution but also risk having any insurance payout reduced due to 'contributory negligence'.

[yorkie_chris]

"avoidably and dangerously distracted" is the key statement there I think. You could argue that any distraction was negligible since you weren't faffing about with the device at the time. I think the car radio analogy would work well.

That site seems far more aimed at the likes of the iPhone and other crap like that, I have no intention of typing "o fk am crshing" and "i cn haz ambulnce plz" into twitter on the bike!

[yorkie_chris]

Remember that while you might not be changing song on your player, but if a police officer stops you and thinks that you were, you could find yourself banned from driving, and worse still, in prison. So put it somewhere out of reach and keep your eyes on the road. Better still, listen to the radio!

Riiiiiight.

[missyburd]

Better still, listen to the radio!Yeah 'cos there are no buttons to fiddle with on a radio, noone ever wants to change channels or anything. They can't say one thing then fob it off with something else, you can either listen to music or not at all. Which of course wouldn't work and why they can't make it against the law to do so.

[yorkie_chris]

Or even built in sat navs, mp3 player on a bracket and wired into radio input is fine I presume.

[Owenski]

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=130668 (http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=130668) op, you'll find a lot of this stuff on here. Right down to the suggestion of what earphones to buy.

I gotta agree with YC, surely the tag of dangerous driving and the following licence points/sentance is aimed car drivers who at the time of an acciedent were reaching into a passenger seat to fetch a CD etc.

I dont think they would ever put an accident down to audio entertainment if the driver had both hands on the wheel and was doing correct observations at the time of the accident. If thats the way it is for car drivers then thats the way it is for us as well. Fair enough if you out texting while pootling down the road and hit a pot hole and then a parked car your a tool and at least deserve some points but just having ear phones in is no different to been in a car.

Further note, if audio equipment was such a distraction then MotoGP and Formula 1 drivers wouldnt be talking to the paddock as they fly round tracks at 200+mph.

[missyburd]

I dont think they would ever put an accident down to audio entertainment if the driver had both hands on the wheel and was doing correct observations at the time of the accident.
Bit of a contradiction that isn't it? Surely if the driver had both hands on the wheel and was doing correct observations the accident could have been avoided in the first place? :neutral:

[yorkie_chris]

A car driver doing correct observations? ROFL!

[Owenski]

Bit of a contradiction that isn't it? Surely if the driver had both hands on the wheel and was doing correct observations the accident could have been avoided in the first place? :neutral:

you missed the point

[-Ralph-]

I dont think they would ever put an accident down to audio entertainment if the driver had both hands on the wheel and was doing correct observations at the time of the accident.

Bit of a contradiction that isn't it? Surely if the driver had both hands on the wheel and was doing correct observations the accident could have been avoided in the first place? :neutral:

you missed the point

Contradiction? Not always, there is such thing as an unavoidable accident, not everyone who has an accident has poor obs and is driving/riding one handed, black ice for instance. However I think the point is the one I made earlier, a court will only consider music a contributing factor if there's a specific circumstance that strongly suggests that to be the case, i.e. the rider failed to hear a siren, etc

[Samurai Penguin]

(http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=130668)Further note, if audio equipment was such a distraction then MotoGP and Formula 1 drivers wouldnt be talking to the paddock as they fly round tracks at 200+mph.

They use radios in MotoGP?

[Owenski]

I've heard rider feedback before dunno if it was from testing or from a race but they definetly had some kind of intercom going on. Point still remiains cos we've all heard formula 1 drivers chatter.