If deaf people are allowed to drive (and they are), then why is it illegal to use headphones while driving?

Da_Lioness

I am deaf, i have been deaf for 16 years since i was 14. i never wanted to drive i was afraid to drive. but when my mom died 2 years ago my husband asked me to start so i have had my liscense for over a year now and i am a very safe driver. deaf people have a tendency to look in their mirror more often to see what is behind them in case a cop or ambulance comes up out of no where. since we cant hear it we have to be able to see it. headphones distract a hearing persons ability to remember they are actually driving. i know alot of people who can hear that love to listen to music and sing along with it and forget to look in the mirror to see whats back there. compairing headphones and deafness isnt a good thing theres nothing deaf people can do about being deaf where hearing people can do alot they can stop wearing headphones while driving and not use the excuse i didnt hear the siren. they could have they just chose not too by listening to music instead. thats just an example im not saying anything bad about hearing people my husbadn does it all the time. even with out headphones. i dont even know how on earth people who dont wear the headphones can hear the sirens. some play music so loud it vibrates the car and others cars at stop lights so how on earth would they hear the sirens?
thats just my view from being deaf. hope this helps in some way.

you dont have to learn specially to drive. you take regular driving classes you have the same type of car. mine isnt fixed for a hearing impaied person and i ahve never heard of one being like that. hearing impaired people do not get special priviliages when driving. yeah we do get distracted. i dont sign i lip read but i dont talk while i am driving. i stay focused on the road. my kids are important to me and i want to get there in one piece. had my permit 16 times and didnt want to get them. i never took my test. practiced for 3 hours with my husband and passed my exam with flying colors. my only requirement for my impairment is to look in my mirrors often which i do anyways.

but i love life is wrong. hearing impaired people ARE NOT trained for their impairment in driving. theres no difference in our driving then a hearing persons our senses are more hightened but we arent taught to drive any differently we take the came courses same teachers. nothing is different except that they can hear and we cannot.

melissawinters69

deaf people don't have a choice on hearing. we do....its just safer.

Pashta

Good question. I know it doesn't seem fair, but the rule is in place so that we can hear sirens and pull over for emergency vehicles.

I_Love_Life!

Deaf people are trained in driving for their particular handicap, and their vehicles are usually equipped with special devises to warn driver of emergency equipment, etc. As for headphones, they impair the driver, and the drivers ability to focus on the task at hand - driving. Headphones on walker are dangerous enough, I have seen numerous near misses with absent minded walkers and cars, trucks and trains.

Coconuts

because people that are deaf all of there other senses are heightened more then those of us that can hear, so they pay more attention to everything else then the rest of us do. so by a person that can hear using headphones is loosing a sense so you are less aware of what is going on around you. that is some of the thinking about it. also most of the people that are deaf did not choose it, but they still work and have jobs so how are they going to get there when they cant drive

seasonsoflove

Deaf people, while still able to be distracted, are not distracted by sounds (obviously). Driving with headphones is not the same as being deaf because you are attending to both the music and driving, where as being deaf, you are only attending to driving (sometimes signing while driving, which may seem to be distracting, is not as bad as you think, because they are used to it).

Deaf people cannot be prohibited from obtaining a license, but someone who puts on headphones while driving is impairing their senses purposely, and they are not as adapted to driving impaired as a person who is deaf is.

sterling m

deaf people are not distracted by the tunes and it is generally thought that they have better powers of observation than the rest of us

bluff mike

Headphones not only block out sounds you might need to hear , they are also a distraction., like a cell phone or 5000w of hip hop.

U wish U had this

That is a stupid question!Though the deaf person cannot hear their focus remains on driving,If you are listening to headphones your attention is divided between the music and driving which could cause an accident.It has nothing to do with whether or not you can hear!

bex d.

that's a really good question, i didn't even know you weren't allowed to drive with headphones on..... or that deaf people can drive

death_taru1

because it's distracting, and while listining to music, it makes you less aware of the road, and more sleepy. Also if the music is way to loud, we cant hear sirens and could block an emergency vehicle.

Professor Armitage

Because not allowing a deaf person to drive can be legally construed as discrimination, whereas not allowing people that can hear to listen to music while driving can not be legally construed as discrimination.

doug b

good question
An extra point here,i followed a car one day with deaf people in it as they were all signing to each other,and as for distractions,the driver kept turning to the back seat passenger to see their answer,so dont tell me they are trained to be any safer,they are still human and no more attentive than anyone else.

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