Don't wear earphones when cycling

THE death of a cyclist in Hillside has prompted calls for pedestrians and
riders to be attentive on busy roads.

Police said the woman appeared to have entered the intersection against a
red light before she was hit by a car about 6.15am on February 10. The
36-year-old mother was not wearing a helmet. Headphones found at the scene
led police to believe she might have been listening to music.

Police have interviewed the driver, a 23-year-old Hillside man.

Melton's Inspector Mario Fiorentino said the cyclist was not wearing
reflective clothing and had no lights on her bike.

"There are a significant number of incidents with pedestrians and bicycles
on our road [and] it is a recurring theme of people not wearing helmets or
protective clothing," he said.

The cyclist was the fourth killed on Victorian roads this year.

Inspector Fiorentino said the practice of cyclists and pedestrians wearing
headphones was a serious concern because they couldn't hear what was
happening around them. It was becoming "endemic".

"It's fine if you're on a running track to listen to music, but if you're in
peak-hour traffic with earphones how can you be aware in those
circumstances?"

http://www.brimbankweekly.com.au/new...s/2460539.aspx

On Feb 23, 4:20*pm, "Mr. Benn" wrote:
THE death of a cyclist in Hillside ...

That would be Hillside in Brimbank, Australia, wouldn't it?

"PhilO" wrote in message
...
On Feb 23, 4:20 pm, "Mr. Benn" wrote:
THE death of a cyclist in Hillside ...

That would be Hillside in Brimbank, Australia, wouldn't it?

I think your on the right line there

I'm sure you'd never catch a car driver listening to music while driving,
they might miss the a call on the mobile!

On 23/02/2012 16:20, Mr. Benn wrote:
THE death of a cyclist in Hillside has prompted calls for pedestrians and
riders to be attentive on busy roads.

Police said the woman appeared to have entered the intersection against a red
light before she was hit by a car about 6.15am on February 10. The
36-year-old mother was not wearing a helmet. Headphones found at the scene
led police to believe she might have been listening to music.

Police have interviewed the driver, a 23-year-old Hillside man.

Melton's Inspector Mario Fiorentino said the cyclist was not wearing
reflective clothing and had no lights on her bike.

"There are a significant number of incidents with pedestrians and bicycles on
our road [and] it is a recurring theme of people not wearing helmets or
protective clothing," he said.

The cyclist was the fourth killed on Victorian roads this year.

Inspector Fiorentino said the practice of cyclists and pedestrians wearing
headphones was a serious concern because they couldn't hear what was
happening around them. It was becoming "endemic".

"It's fine if you're on a running track to listen to music, but if you're in
peak-hour traffic with earphones how can you be aware in those circumstances?"

http://www.brimbankweekly.com.au/new...s/2460539.aspx

How many more times?

It is not an offence to ride or drive whilst deaf.

It therefore cannot be an offence to ride or drive without being able to hear
audio cues. Being able to hear them is not compulsory.

I'd far rather my neighbour got their need for loud music out of their system
on the road rather than on the other side of the party wall.


[No, I haven't got noisy neighbours. But you know what I mean.]

JNugent wrote:
On 23/02/2012 16:20, Mr. Benn wrote:
THE death of a cyclist in Hillside has prompted calls for
pedestrians and riders to be attentive on busy roads.

Police said the woman appeared to have entered the intersection
against a red light before she was hit by a car about 6.15am on
February 10. The 36-year-old mother was not wearing a helmet.
Headphones found at the scene led police to believe she might have
been listening to music. Police have interviewed the driver, a
23-year-old Hillside man.

Melton's Inspector Mario Fiorentino said the cyclist was not wearing
reflective clothing and had no lights on her bike.

"There are a significant number of incidents with pedestrians and
bicycles on our road [and] it is a recurring theme of people not
wearing helmets or protective clothing," he said.

The cyclist was the fourth killed on Victorian roads this year.

Inspector Fiorentino said the practice of cyclists and pedestrians
wearing headphones was a serious concern because they couldn't hear
what was happening around them. It was becoming "endemic".

"It's fine if you're on a running track to listen to music, but if
you're in peak-hour traffic with earphones how can you be aware in
those circumstances?"
http://www.brimbankweekly.com.au/new...s/2460539.aspx

How many more times?

It is not an offence to ride or drive whilst deaf.

It therefore cannot be an offence to ride or drive without being able
to hear audio cues. Being able to hear them is not compulsory.

I'd far rather my neighbour got their need for loud music out of
their system on the road rather than on the other side of the party
wall.

[No, I haven't got noisy neighbours. But you know what I mean.]

But if you are deaf then you will have learnt to be extra vigilant, whereas
a normal hearing person that makes themselves (effectively) deaf to outside
noises has not developed that skill. There are too many instances of
cyclists riding obliviously into an accident and even dying, simply because
they are in a cocoon of sound from headphones, something that car drivers
don't seem to do.

"Jolly polly" wrote in message
...

"PhilO" wrote in message
...
On Feb 23, 4:20 pm, "Mr. Benn" wrote:
THE death of a cyclist in Hillside ...

That would be Hillside in Brimbank, Australia, wouldn't it?

I think your on the right line there

I'm sure you'd never catch a car driver listening to music while driving,
they might miss the a call on the mobile!

A good while ago my postman shoved letter through my letter box which were
not addressed to me.
I chased him up the road with the letters. He was on a bike, on the footpath
and then on the road.
He did not hear me shouting as he had headphones plugged into his empty
head.

On Feb 23, 5:42*pm, JNugent wrote:
On 23/02/2012 16:20, Mr. Benn wrote:









THE death of a cyclist in Hillside has prompted calls for pedestrians and
riders to be attentive on busy roads.

Police said the woman appeared to have entered the intersection against a red
light before she was hit by a car about 6.15am on February 10. The
36-year-old mother was not wearing a helmet. Headphones found at the scene
led police to believe she might have been listening to music.

Police have interviewed the driver, a 23-year-old Hillside man.

Melton's Inspector Mario Fiorentino said the cyclist was not wearing
reflective clothing and had no lights on her bike.

"There are a significant number of incidents with pedestrians and bicycles on
our road [and] it is a recurring theme of people not wearing helmets or
protective clothing," he said.

The cyclist was the fourth killed on Victorian roads this year.

Inspector Fiorentino said the practice of cyclists and pedestrians wearing
headphones was a serious concern because they couldn't hear what was
happening around them. It was becoming "endemic".

"It's fine if you're on a running track to listen to music, but if you're in
peak-hour traffic with earphones how can you be aware in those circumstances?"

http://www.brimbankweekly.com.au/new...l/earphones-a-...

How many more times?

It is not an offence to ride or drive whilst deaf.

It therefore cannot be an offence to ride or drive without being able to hear
audio cues. Being able to hear them is not compulsory.

It is not an offence to ride a bike without a helmet. It is becoming a
reason to decrease a victim cyclist's damages.


I'd far rather my neighbour got their need for loud music out of their system
on the road rather than on the other side of the party wall.

So your peace and quiet trumps others' safety on the roads? Shirley
not!

On Feb 23, 6:51*pm, "Mr Pounder"
wrote:
"Jolly polly" wrote in message

...



"PhilO" wrote in message
....
On Feb 23, 4:20 pm, "Mr. Benn" wrote:
THE death of a cyclist in Hillside ...

That would be Hillside in Brimbank, Australia, wouldn't it?

I think your on the right line there

I'm sure you'd never catch a car driver listening to music while driving,
they might miss the a call on the mobile!

A good while ago my postman shoved letter through my letter box which were
not addressed to me.
I chased him up the road with the letters. He was on a bike, on the footpath
and then on the road.
He did not hear me shouting as he had headphones plugged into his empty
head.

Yes, that's why he was ignoring you!

On Feb 23, 5:50*pm, "Mrcheerful" wrote:
JNugent wrote:
On 23/02/2012 16:20, Mr. Benn wrote:
THE death of a cyclist in Hillside has prompted calls for
pedestrians and riders to be attentive on busy roads.

Police said the woman appeared to have entered the intersection
against a red light before she was hit by a car about 6.15am on
February 10. The 36-year-old mother was not wearing a helmet.
Headphones found at the scene led police to believe she might have
been listening to music. Police have interviewed the driver, a
23-year-old Hillside man.

Melton's Inspector Mario Fiorentino said the cyclist was not wearing
reflective clothing and had no lights on her bike.

"There are a significant number of incidents with pedestrians and
bicycles on our road [and] it is a recurring theme of people not
wearing helmets or protective clothing," he said.

The cyclist was the fourth killed on Victorian roads this year.

Inspector Fiorentino said the practice of cyclists and pedestrians
wearing headphones was a serious concern because they couldn't hear
what was happening around them. It was becoming "endemic".

"It's fine if you're on a running track to listen to music, but if
you're in peak-hour traffic with earphones how can you be aware in
those circumstances?"
http://www.brimbankweekly.com.au/new...l/earphones-a-....

How many more times?

It is not an offence to ride or drive whilst deaf.

It therefore cannot be an offence to ride or drive without being able
to hear audio cues. Being able to hear them is not compulsory.

I'd far rather my neighbour got their need for loud music out of
their system on the road rather than on the other side of the party
wall.

[No, I haven't got noisy neighbours. But you know what I mean.]

But if you are deaf then you will have learnt to be extra vigilant, whereas
a normal hearing person that makes themselves (effectively) deaf to outside
noises has not developed that skill. *There are too many instances of
cyclists riding obliviously into an accident and even dying, simply because
they are in a cocoon of sound from headphones, something that car drivers
don't seem to do.

We cannot know that. In a crash, the cyclist leaves the evidence by
having headphones, but does anyone ever mention the in-car stereo
doodad in the event of a crash? To be fair, I believe that the odd
mobile phone has come up in crash stories.

On 23/02/2012 18:55, Squashme wrote:
On Feb 23, 5:42 pm, wrote:
On 23/02/2012 16:20, Mr. Benn wrote:









THE death of a cyclist in Hillside has prompted calls for pedestrians and
riders to be attentive on busy roads.

Police said the woman appeared to have entered the intersection against a red
light before she was hit by a car about 6.15am on February 10. The
36-year-old mother was not wearing a helmet. Headphones found at the scene
led police to believe she might have been listening to music.

Police have interviewed the driver, a 23-year-old Hillside man.

Melton's Inspector Mario Fiorentino said the cyclist was not wearing
reflective clothing and had no lights on her bike.

"There are a significant number of incidents with pedestrians and bicycles on
our road [and] it is a recurring theme of people not wearing helmets or
protective clothing," he said.

The cyclist was the fourth killed on Victorian roads this year.

Inspector Fiorentino said the practice of cyclists and pedestrians wearing
headphones was a serious concern because they couldn't hear what was
happening around them. It was becoming "endemic".

"It's fine if you're on a running track to listen to music, but if you're in
peak-hour traffic with earphones how can you be aware in those circumstances?"

http://www.brimbankweekly.com.au/new...l/earphones-a-...

How many more times?

It is not an offence to ride or drive whilst deaf.

It therefore cannot be an offence to ride or drive without being able to hear
audio cues. Being able to hear them is not compulsory.

It is not an offence to ride a bike without a helmet. It is becoming a
reason to decrease a victim cyclist's damages.


I'd far rather my neighbour got their need for loud music out of their system
on the road rather than on the other side of the party wall.

So your peace and quiet trumps others' safety on the roads? Shirley
not!

Yes, I'm that self-centred.

Or at least, I would be if I had noisy neighbours.