Driving a car while wearing headphones is considered dangerous by road safety experts. They cite the potential of headphones to cause a distraction and isolate you from the outside world.
Department for Transport figures reveal distracted driving accounts for 15 percent of all road traffic collisions. More worryingly, distractions led to 26 percent of deaths on British roads.
Despite the rise in the use of smartphones for music and navigation functions, however, no specific law bans the use of headphones while driving in the UK.
Being driven to distraction
Despite the lack of an outright ban, though, motorists could still be found guilty of breaking road traffic laws by driving with headphones on.
Rule 148 of the Highway Code states that motorists should ‘avoid distractions when driving or riding’. Included in the list of examples for distractions is ‘loud music’.
Research undertaken by Nelson and Nilsson in 1990 found that drivers took longer to react to hazards when wearing headphones. Judging speed was also found to be affected, causing them to drive faster.
Under section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, the offence of careless driving can occur where a driver is ‘avoidably distracted’.
Risk of a fine and licence points
Careless driving can be punished by a police officer with an on-the-spot fine of £100. This is accompanied by a driving licence endorsement of three points, which will likely increase the cost of your car insurance the following year.
More serious offences could be referred to court. They can result in a fine of up to £5,000, nine penalty points or even a total driving ban.
So while no specific law prevents the wearing of headphones while driving, doing so could still result in offences being committed.
Listening to music through the car’s built-in speakers, if loud enough to be distracting, could also run the risk of committing the same offences.
Driving with headphones in other countries
Other countries around the world have acted to tackle the hazard of headphones. In 2015, France made it illegal for any driver, rider or cyclist to wear sound-emitting devices – punishable by a fine or a three-point endorsement on their driving licence.
Numerous US states have also introduced laws to ban the wearing of headphones while driving. Will Britain eventually follow suit?
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