Yogi Berra is credited with saying,  “You can observe a lot just by watching.”

Part of my research for this blog is simply watching, to the extent I safely can, what other drivers, especially young ones, do when they are on the road.  A recent observation — neither surprising or groundbreaking — is that it is common to see young drivers wearing earphones or even headphones while they are driving, either the small plastic or rubber pieces that approximate the size of the inner part of the ear, or full-blown headgear that not only provides sound but is designed to block out most background noise.  I really didn’t think about the implications of this until I saw a young lady who was oblivious to an ambulance behind here, siren blaring, because she was plugged into her iPod with earphones.

According to AAA’s Digest of State Motor Vehicle Laws, only a few states expressly regulate or prohibit the use or headphones while driving.  In fact, most distracted driving laws specifically exempt “audio,” and using an iPod or a similar device with earphones or headphones to play music, receive language instruction, listen to a book on tape, etc. appears to be perfectly legal. It is my understanding that being hearing-impaired is not a reason that one cannot obtain a driver’s license, and in fact there are programs to help drivers who have biological hearing loss (as opposed to using earphones or headphones) cope with their condition.

But shouldn’t driving with earphones or headphones should be recognized as a dangerous form of distracted driving and treated as such, for teen drivers if not everyone?  First of all, try putting on a good pair of headphones, the type that fit completely over your ears and are designed to block out all other sounds.  They are very effective (and block out far more sound than just the audio system in a car played at high volume).  Next consider how music played at a moderate or high volume further blocks any outside noise.  The problem, of course — like so many things in driving, common sense but just below the surface of our consciousness — is that the ability to hear is an essential part of crash avoidance, and thus driving while plugged in decreases reaction time. I am sure at any experienced driver can recall numerous circumstances were a siren, a crash, a bang, or some other noise was their first alert to a dangerous situation, perhaps even their only key in avoiding a crash. 

My wife and I experienced this recently.  The West Rock Tunnel in New Haven, part of the Merritt Parkway, is about a half mile long, completely straight, and is situated at a part of the highway with a speed limit of more than 50 MPH.  On occasion, traffic backs up inside the tunnel.  On a sunny day, when drivers enter the tunnel at high speed, it takes a moment for eyes to adjust to the darkness.  For this reason, a warning sign a few hundred yards before the tunnel entrance tells drivers to remove their sunglasses before entering the tunnel. On a recent Saturday afternoon, my car was in a long slowdown within the tunnel, almost through it, when far behind me a heard a bang…then another… then two more.  I could not see anything, but the sequence of noises gave a clear signal:  A car entering the tunnel had crashed into the rear of another, which had hit other ones in front of it, starting a chain crash.  The two other drivers on my side and ahead of me all realized at the same moment what was happening, and we sped up to get out of the tunnel and out of the way.  So, in that instant, sound, not anything visual, helped me avoid being hit from behind.

Suppose I had been plugged in at that moment?  I would not have heard the sounds that prompted me to get out of harm’s way.  I don’t have any research on earphones but I am sure this happens regularly on our highways.

For parents of teen drivers, then, this simple, obvious, but important caution:  don’t let you teen drivers wear earphones or headphones while they are driving.  New drivers need every sense available to them to be safe, and purposely blocking off hearing while driving is plainly a bad idea. Reduction or loss of hearing is a form of distracted driving because it reduces reaction time to circumstances that can cause a crash or allow for crash avoidance.  And note that, with regard to this form of distraction, parents do not have state laws to back them up; they are on their own in imposing this limitation.

Teen drivers should be all ears, and parents should make sure they are.

Share