# Do you wear headphones or earbuds while driving?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wear-headphones-or-earbuds-while-driving/1001791>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [May 20, 2024, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wear-headphones-or-earbuds-while-driving/1001791 "2024-05-20T03:14:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wear-headphones-or-earbuds-while-driving/1001791/41 "2024-05-21T17:39:38Z")

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I routinely drive with one wireless earbud in. As others have indicated, it’s legal in California, where I live (and, in my assessment, does not interfere with situational awareness).

Most of my commute listening is to podcasts on my phone. My car is old enough (2006) that it does not have Bluetooth. It’s too new to have a cassette deck, but too new to have an “aux in” jack.

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**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wear-headphones-or-earbuds-while-driving/1001791/42 "2024-05-21T19:11:52Z")

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I will wear hearing aids when traveling with my wife so I can hear her. Was a pretty big part of a decision to NOT drive 1300 miles together a few weeks back. Ya see, BOTH of my hearing aids had decided to stop working two days before. It would have been more miserable that your usual 1300 mile road trip.

If I’m by myself, I might wear the hearing aids, might not. They only amplify ambient noise though. It’s sort of a toss up.

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**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wear-headphones-or-earbuds-while-driving/1001791/43 "2024-05-21T20:30:34Z")

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There are a lot of people who say not hearing their wife for 1300 miles would be wonderful & not miserable

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**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wear-headphones-or-earbuds-while-driving/1001791/44 "2024-05-21T20:43:53Z")

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I said “no, against the law” which isn’t completely true: in my state, you can wear a phone on ONE ear only.

I did once continue a conference call, with the headphone still on one ear. But in general I won’t. It’s just more convenient to use the car’s speakers.

As a PASSENGER, now, I have used headphones.

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**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2024, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wear-headphones-or-earbuds-while-driving/1001791/45 "2024-05-22T16:58:39Z")

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Yes, but bone induction style, they rest outside the pinna. LEO in my area said they were fine.

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