ear plugs
Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 235
Likes: 76
From: Surrey, British Columbia . Canada
[QUOTE=Veekness;12542827]...ear plugs are just flatly dangerous. They remove you from the environment around you,
If that is what you believe then you are not very well educated in ear plugs. Ear plugs do not make you deaf, they do not block all sound out. What they are designed to do is tone down the harmful frequency that will damage your ears. A good well fitted ear plug will let you hear normal conversations and everything else that is going on around you.
I do not think that there is any State out there that have banned wearing earplugs while driving. I my be wrong but have not heard of any. I do know that there are states as well as my province that ban wearing Ear buds for music but not ear plugs. Actually in my province I believe that you can wear one ear bud but not both. You can not even wear them riding a bicycle. Mind you, you see plenty of people doing it now a days but the law is not very well enforced.
Bruce
If that is what you believe then you are not very well educated in ear plugs. Ear plugs do not make you deaf, they do not block all sound out. What they are designed to do is tone down the harmful frequency that will damage your ears. A good well fitted ear plug will let you hear normal conversations and everything else that is going on around you.
I do not think that there is any State out there that have banned wearing earplugs while driving. I my be wrong but have not heard of any. I do know that there are states as well as my province that ban wearing Ear buds for music but not ear plugs. Actually in my province I believe that you can wear one ear bud but not both. You can not even wear them riding a bicycle. Mind you, you see plenty of people doing it now a days but the law is not very well enforced.
Bruce
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 4,377
Likes: 647
From: Santa Clarita
Last time I checked...and it's been a while...you can't put anything over your ears in California... at all... If you gotta protect yourself from your own motorcycle, something's wrong there...
Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 235
Likes: 76
From: Surrey, British Columbia . Canada
Well for one thing it's not the motorcycle per say I am talking about, it's the wind noise you get from riding a motorcycle. I have friends that have ridden since they were kids and now at 60 or so they can not hear to good. Back then the wind noise was even worse because no one ever had a windshield. Back then for me I would put a shield on because I hated the loud wind noise.
As for the law in Cal. I would look into that because that does not make sense, if that were the case then all full face helmets and 3/4 helmets would be illegal. Up here you see truckers wearing ear muffs a lot as well as most of all the garbage truck operators. I think that may be their work safe rule not sure.
Bruce
As for the law in Cal. I would look into that because that does not make sense, if that were the case then all full face helmets and 3/4 helmets would be illegal. Up here you see truckers wearing ear muffs a lot as well as most of all the garbage truck operators. I think that may be their work safe rule not sure.
Bruce
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 3,820
Likes: 587
From: Michigan
V C Section 27400 Wearing of Headsets or Earplugs
Wearing of Headsets or Earplugs
27400. A person operating a motor vehicle or bicycle may not wear a headset covering, or earplugs in, both ears. This prohibition does not apply to any of the following:
(a) A person operating authorized emergency vehicles, as defined in Section 165.
(b) A person engaged in the operation of either special construction equipment or equipment for use in the maintenance of any highway.
(c) A person engaged in the operation of refuse collection equipment who is wearing a safety headset or safety earplugs.
(d) A person wearing personal hearing protectors in the form of earplugs or molds that are specifically designed to attenuate injurious noise levels. The plugs or molds shall be designed in a manner so as to not inhibit the wearer's ability to hear a siren or horn from an emergency vehicle or a horn from another motor vehicle.
(e) A person using a prosthetic device that aids the hard of hearing.
Amended Sec. 45, Ch. 594, Stats. 2003. Effective January 1, 2004.
Last edited by Hammz; Apr 5, 2014 at 01:32 PM.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 4,741
Likes: 45
From: Indian Land, SC
Maybe you should check again. Here's Cali law:
V C Section 27400 Wearing of Headsets or Earplugs
Wearing of Headsets or Earplugs
27400. A person operating a motor vehicle or bicycle may not wear a headset covering, or earplugs in, both ears. This prohibition does not apply to any of the following:
(a) A person operating authorized emergency vehicles, as defined in Section 165.
(b) A person engaged in the operation of either special construction equipment or equipment for use in the maintenance of any highway.
(c) A person engaged in the operation of refuse collection equipment who is wearing a safety headset or safety earplugs.
(d) A person wearing personal hearing protectors in the form of earplugs or molds that are specifically designed to attenuate injurious noise levels. The plugs or molds shall be designed in a manner so as to not inhibit the wearer's ability to hear a siren or horn from an emergency vehicle or a horn from another motor vehicle.
(e) A person using a prosthetic device that aids the hard of hearing.
Amended Sec. 45, Ch. 594, Stats. 2003. Effective January 1, 2004.
V C Section 27400 Wearing of Headsets or Earplugs
Wearing of Headsets or Earplugs
27400. A person operating a motor vehicle or bicycle may not wear a headset covering, or earplugs in, both ears. This prohibition does not apply to any of the following:
(a) A person operating authorized emergency vehicles, as defined in Section 165.
(b) A person engaged in the operation of either special construction equipment or equipment for use in the maintenance of any highway.
(c) A person engaged in the operation of refuse collection equipment who is wearing a safety headset or safety earplugs.
(d) A person wearing personal hearing protectors in the form of earplugs or molds that are specifically designed to attenuate injurious noise levels. The plugs or molds shall be designed in a manner so as to not inhibit the wearer's ability to hear a siren or horn from an emergency vehicle or a horn from another motor vehicle.
(e) A person using a prosthetic device that aids the hard of hearing.
Amended Sec. 45, Ch. 594, Stats. 2003. Effective January 1, 2004.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 4,377
Likes: 647
From: Santa Clarita
Maybe you should check again. Here's Cali law:
V C Section 27400 Wearing of Headsets or Earplugs
Wearing of Headsets or Earplugs
27400. A person operating a motor vehicle or bicycle may not wear a headset covering, or earplugs in, both ears. This prohibition does not apply to any of the following:
(a) A person operating authorized emergency vehicles, as defined in Section 165.
(b) A person engaged in the operation of either special construction equipment or equipment for use in the maintenance of any highway.
(c) A person engaged in the operation of refuse collection equipment who is wearing a safety headset or safety earplugs.
(d) A person wearing personal hearing protectors in the form of earplugs or molds that are specifically designed to attenuate injurious noise levels. The plugs or molds shall be designed in a manner so as to not inhibit the wearer's ability to hear a siren or horn from an emergency vehicle or a horn from another motor vehicle.
(e) A person using a prosthetic device that aids the hard of hearing.
Amended Sec. 45, Ch. 594, Stats. 2003. Effective January 1, 2004.
V C Section 27400 Wearing of Headsets or Earplugs
Wearing of Headsets or Earplugs
27400. A person operating a motor vehicle or bicycle may not wear a headset covering, or earplugs in, both ears. This prohibition does not apply to any of the following:
(a) A person operating authorized emergency vehicles, as defined in Section 165.
(b) A person engaged in the operation of either special construction equipment or equipment for use in the maintenance of any highway.
(c) A person engaged in the operation of refuse collection equipment who is wearing a safety headset or safety earplugs.
(d) A person wearing personal hearing protectors in the form of earplugs or molds that are specifically designed to attenuate injurious noise levels. The plugs or molds shall be designed in a manner so as to not inhibit the wearer's ability to hear a siren or horn from an emergency vehicle or a horn from another motor vehicle.
(e) A person using a prosthetic device that aids the hard of hearing.
Amended Sec. 45, Ch. 594, Stats. 2003. Effective January 1, 2004.
The point remains, to me, my opinion, clearly not that of others and that's fine, that if your exhaust is so loud that you have to cover your ears, that's stoopid. If the earplugs are actuated by loud noise, that means that they are also insulating the user from quieter noises, such as car horns and sirens. Nothing that's been trotted out here has caused me to change my mind yet.
The full face comment is simply ludicrous. That's not the intent of a full face helmet, and I've not noticed a significant degradation of hearing wearing a well-designed full face helmet. That said, I generally wear a 3/4 helmet or half helmet, but if it gets cold/windy, yep, the full face goes on. I can still hear what I need to hear, and my balance is still good on the bike.
Last edited by Veekness; Apr 5, 2014 at 01:52 PM.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 3,820
Likes: 587
From: Michigan
Like I said...last time I checked, and it's been a while...prior to the early nineties, it was both ears, and I believe that's still covered generally...the section was amended in 2003, effective 1 January 2004... subsection (d) leaves enough leeway that an officer might could make a case in that the rider has caused his or her own situation by modifying the exhaust, another violation of the VC, check out 27151 VC or thereabouts. If I made a stop and any of this stuff came into play, I would scratch for 27151 VC, and if the clown took it to court, it would be a simple thing to point out to the judge that the exhaust was so loud that the rider had to wear earplugs. Hmmmm...probably not a good thing for Mr. Real Biker.
The point remains, to me, my opinion, clearly not that of others and that's fine, that if your exhaust is so loud that you have to cover your ears, that's stoopid. If the earplugs are actuated by loud noise, that means that they are also insulating the user from quieter noises, such as car horns and sirens. Nothing that's been trotted out here has caused me to change my mind yet.
The full face comment is simply ludicrous. That's not the intent of a full face helmet, and I've not noticed a significant degradation of hearing wearing a well-designed full face helmet. That said, I generally wear a 3/4 helmet or half helmet, but if it gets cold/windy, yep, the full face goes on. I can still hear what I need to hear, and my balance is still good on the bike.
The point remains, to me, my opinion, clearly not that of others and that's fine, that if your exhaust is so loud that you have to cover your ears, that's stoopid. If the earplugs are actuated by loud noise, that means that they are also insulating the user from quieter noises, such as car horns and sirens. Nothing that's been trotted out here has caused me to change my mind yet.
The full face comment is simply ludicrous. That's not the intent of a full face helmet, and I've not noticed a significant degradation of hearing wearing a well-designed full face helmet. That said, I generally wear a 3/4 helmet or half helmet, but if it gets cold/windy, yep, the full face goes on. I can still hear what I need to hear, and my balance is still good on the bike.
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 4,741
Likes: 45
From: Indian Land, SC
Again, YOU miss the point of why ear protection is needed while motorcycling. Regardless of exhaust system or brand of bike, WIND NOISE at HIGHWAY SPEEDS, even with full face helmets, is loud enough to sustain permanent hearing damage if you ride long enough (it's a cummulative effect).
As far as the law in Calif., if a cop there gives you a ticket for wearing ear plugs on a MC and that is the only infraction, he/she is a complete a-hole. Being a cop for 28 years, I would never even think about doing it if that law was on the books in NJ....
