The mother of a woman killed when she apparently rode her bike into the back of lorry trailer has appealed to cyclists not to listen to music while they ride.
tasteless
Tragic but I fail to see how not listening to music would stop you riding into the back of a lorry!
I don't wear headphones on the bike as I think it's important to be able to hear as best as possible what is going on around you. However, I fail to see how it would have avouided riding into the back of a lorry in this situation
BTW - great Dailymail article - adverts inbetween a tragic storey 🙁
Concentration levels are affected by listening to music, even in a car over the radio. It's worse when you've got headphones in, particularly the noise reduction ones. They tend to cut you off from the world around you. It's not just about hearing the idiot coming up behind you, you need to fully aware of your surroundings and even then you're not always safe. Personal preference at the end of the day but I'd never listen while riding, I rely on my hearing too much on road and I don't want to listen offroad.
Been done a while ago.
Yup but it came up again on the news this morning Al so topical no?
+1 Stumpyjohn 🙂
A cyclist was in the news recently urging people to wear helmets after one stopped him suffering more serious injury. He rode into a parked tractor at full tilt...
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink?
does that mean horses shouldn't listen to music whilst at a watering hole?
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it wear a cycle helmet or listen to Eminem
Stupid at the time, stupid now.
Tragic yes, but WTF has music got to do with it.
does that mean horses shouldn't listen to music whilst at a watering hole?
Of course not as the horse wouldn't hear the car behind resulting in a collision?
As an aside are njee and cynic-al the most grumpy people on STW forum at the mo? 😉
Natural selection im afraid.
Tragic, but no-one else to blame but the girl in question.
In my opinion its like riding a bike in traffic with blinkers!
Yes music can effect you concentration which is just why you pay more attention, if you can't see a 40' artic in front of you then there's something up.
Natural selection im afraid.
Tragic, but no-one else to blame but the girl in question.
In my opinion its like riding a bike in traffic with blinkers!
or maybe like riding a bike in traffic with something covering your ears?
Personally, music helps my concentration.
Not everyone is the same.
In fact, I think I'll write that for every STW response I post from now on - "not everyone is the same".
We are in the forum of over-generalisation namastebuzz 😉
I ride off-road while listening to music but tend not to on the road. Agree with others though that it doesn't appear to have been a factor in this particular tragic case.
Does seem odd - if you exit a cycle path on to a road you at least look - or is the implication that she was so busy singing along to Britney, Kylie and Michael that she forgot ?
Does seem odd - if you exit a cycle path on to a road you at least look - or is the implication that she was so busy singing along to Britney, Kylie and Michael that she forgot ?
I would guess so hels?
I could understand her protestations if she had been sideswiped by the same lorry but the fact that her daughter ran into the back of the lorry indicates to me that the headphones were not to blame in this instance. who know what made her miss the huge back end of a lorry?
I still wouldn't recommend wearing them but while riding but each to their own.
Tragic: yes. Music to blame? I think not in this case.
Parents often look for some meaning in horrible circumstances like this - can't blame them really.
you need ALL your sensors when riding a bike on the roads.
Its Darwinian for anyone and a matter of time before you have a distracted accident if you listen to music on a bike/commute.
How bored of your own company must you be? I love thinking when riding.
Harsh but true.
I have to admit I listen to music in one ear on quiet rural roads, I always hear cars coming. But I always take it out if coming up to a town, and wouldn't even think about it in a city, or on a busy A road like my commute road. Personal decision I guess ?
Just pointing out that the topic was coveredc previously, how does that make me grumpy ❓
Just a sweeping generalisation Cynic-al - purely observational 🙂
Fair point, I probably am the grumpiest on here.
😆
you need ALL your sensors when riding a bike on the roads.Its Darwinian for anyone and a matter of time before you have a distracted accident if you listen to music on a bike/commute.
How bored of your own company must you be? I love thinking when riding.
Well if you're thinking of something other than riding you may be distracted 🙂
In this case it's not that not hearing things caused the accident it's the fact that listening to music whether you like or not starts to artificial disengage you from your surroundings. It's a similar although admittedly more situation with people using hand free phones in the car.
That all said a surprising number of people kill themselves riding into stationary vehicles regardless of what they're listening to.
What you can't ride, watch the road, listen to music and think at the same time?
Explains many of your posts hora clearly too busy concentrating on breathing.
How do you hear that car that is screaming up behind you if you have music taking away your ability to hear road hazards? I'll stick to listening for cars and other stuff that is trying to kill me thanks.
I was given the gift of sight, I keep checking behind me for approaching traffic. A bit like you do in a car a because you can't hear a them 'screaming behind you' in a car too easy.
Drac I think you hit the nail on the head. Should a deaf person not be allowed to ride?
I see so many cyclists in London with their own blinkers on. They dont look back before manoeuvring. They dont look back for miles and miles and then they shit themselves when they hear something like a lorry behind them.
And Im pretty sure most motorists arent out to kill us.
I ride with one headphone in on the left ear but Id count on my sight and looking back more than hearing.
Drac. Thing with being in a car though is that you are in this tin box with lots of safety kit and people give you a bit of respect because they too are in a tin box with lots of safety kit. My bike doesn't have mirrors like the car does.
I am finding this thread a bit of an eye opener..
My bike doesn't have mirrors like the car does.
Well, there's your problem then!
I never used to ride with music, but principally through fear of breaking my primary iPod. Since purchasing a cheapo Shuffle I'm more tempted.
Conversely, I never listen to music when I'm snowboarding. Too much scope for misunderstandings as people overtake/bail from any direction.
I ride with one in ear phone in my left ear, volume set low. Initially I was sceptical, thinking I would inevitably die, but it's like having the radio on in the car; not especially distracting, and useful for those long dull training rides.
I did find out today that I've got the Spice Girls on my mp3 tho...
I have to admit I listen to music in one ear on quiet rural roads, I always hear cars coming. But I always take it out if coming up to a town, and wouldn't even think about it in a city, or on a busy A road like my commute road
Hmmm, I've always had completely the opposite thoughts on this!
As I see it traffic's always there on my commute, making me much less likely to be taken by surprise by something passing too close etc.
Only ever talky bits for me anyway...
crikey - Member
I did find out today that I've got the Spice Girls on my mp3 tho...
My housemate was horrified to discover she had Slayer on her Shuffle today. I was somewhat surprised to find that I had The Saturdays, we really shouldn't leave our his and hers matching Shuffles in the kitchen!
It might have worked out better if you didn't have shit music on both of them.
😉
You won't be buying the long rumoured Slayer/Saturdays split e.p then!
Heh - actually I had to look The Saturdays up. Little bits of the lyrics to one of their songs Google found for me could actually be Slayer. Rock! 
[i]I miss hurting you til you cry
I miss watching you as you try
Try not to end up in tears[/i]
[i]There’s a blind force letting it win
And it’s longing to tear us apart
I get high when you’re making me weak
Let me down ’til I crawl on my knee’s[/i]
[i]Knee's[/i] btw - honestly! Copied and pasted, obviously.
I haven't read all that, and I'm sure it's terribly sad for all involved. But, I do put my mp3 player on on my road bike, the tunes get me going and cycling harder and it gives me more of a buzz, I don't wear a helmet either. I look forward to this experience all week. This is my own personal free choice. A lot of the time I am tied down to corporate control. I'm getting a proper roadie helmet for xmas though! and I wouldn't even consider using an mp3 player cycling in a city or not on cycle paths or b roads. each to their own.
My bike doesn't have mirrors like the car does.
Or mine but my head has a good pivot point. Which I use when driving the car too, turning your head to look around is a real good idea, try it some time.
I am finding this thread a bit of an eye opener..
Well that's a start, now gently turn your head. Careful now it may hurt the first time you try it.
Oh god not this topic again. Roads I'll have one ear in off road I'll have both in. I've had a burst ear drum for the past month so presume, as I have a constant sea shell sound in my ea,r that I shouldn't ride either as I can't hear any better than with headphones?
Not sure why headphones have an affect on your vision though? Seen a few accidents involving cyclists in Pompey and soton in the past few month
Are well all missing the fact that the truck was moving. She didn't ride into the back of a stationary truck, she was hit by the rear portion of a truck that was turning.
[i]Surrounded By Zulus - Member
How do you hear that car that is screaming up behind you if you have music taking away your ability to hear road hazards? I'll stick to listening for cars and other stuff that is trying to kill me thanks.[/i]
Yes if pootling around town but I honestly can't hear a thing from behind if travelling over 15mph so can't see what difference earphones make apart from stopping me getting earache in the summer.
Never tried earphones offroad but I imagine the sound under tyre would be quite important to determine weather grip was about to go.
If you can't listen to music without being distracted then I don't think the road is the place for you.