Deaf people driving [edited title]

[Si_Amigo]

@iljitsch

Explain to me why someone on a bicycle needs to hear things that someone in a car doesn’t need to hear.

Simply stay on the right side of the road in a place where other traffic is accustomed to bikes and look when you turn and cross intersections. Easy enough.

Just make sure you never EVER assume there’s no other traffic just because you don’t hear any. (It’s insane how many people cross the street without looking and with their back turned to oncoming traffic.)

Dogs don’t attack cars and win. That and little kids do unexpected things that adults wouldn’t do. In a car these types of things are simply an distraction or is more of danger to the other person. On a bike it could be deadly to you.

[Enola_Straight]

I was just thinking…

A new Cadillac I recently drove has a collision avoidance system: when you’re backing into a parking spot and are getting too close to banging the bumper, a buzzer under the seat vibrates.

If a federal mandate or international agreement between automakers makes a car horn or emergency vehicle siren also have a simple radio transmitter, a Deaf driver could have a radio receiver activate a buzzer under the seat.

Do-able?

[Broomstick]

Probably, but why would it be necessary? The historical stats indicate that deaf drivers are no less safe, and may even be more safe on average than hearing drivers. Deaf people also tend to be more aware of visual cues, and thus tend to see things like flashing lights before hearing people do which compensates for being deaf.

In other words, being deaf is not as much of a handicap as many hearing people assume it would be.

[Senegoid]

@jtur88

Yes, deaf people can drive. They can “hear” ambient sounds outside the car as well as a person with the radio blaring or wearing loud earbuds…

I think it’s illegal at least in California to drive with earbuds (or similar) in both ears. You have to have at least one ear on the road.

[Senegoid]

@Moriarty

This I find very hard to believe. A huge part of flying an airplane is communicating with air traffic control, and I can’t imagine somebody successfully navigating controlled airspace who couldn’t hear through their headset.

When flying an airplane, it’s entirely possible to take both hands off the “wheel” for reasonably brief periods without losing control of the plane or running into trees. So it’s very plausible that the pilots could communicate with the tower using ASL.