Rasputin.

Westcoast

Here in BC the interpretation is: "A headphone, earphone or earbud may only be used in one ear, and only if it is part of a hands free telephone function. Using it for a function other than hands free telephone if the device is capable of another function in addition to the telephone is prohibited."

The B.C. Supreme Court has upheld a ruling that says wearing earbuds in both ears while driving — even if they're connected to a dead iPhone — constitutes distracted driving.

Der Tgr

Wow, I am surprised so many use earphones/earbuds/earplugs! My wife and I just got back from a weekend trip (4 hours each way) to our PCA club race this past weekend, and drove with the top up exclusively. We commented a couple of times that noise level wasn't bad - easy to hold normal volume conversations, etc. I also had valves open with Kline OAPs and Exhaust. I love the sounds!

Unstock

Dangerous to not be able to hear traffic around you when you're driving. You can get a ticket in most states if a cop see you have headphones or earbuds in your ears. I want to hear everything going on around me. What if an ambulance or fire truck is coming and you don't hear it? you could get creamed.

FergusH

I should have been clearer: I wouldn't be playing music; just using the noise cancelling ability and only when on long stretches of freeway. It would be similar to using earplugs but actually safer.

Merlotsj

My wife and I did SF Bay Area to Las Vegas and back last summer. She bought earplugs but never wore them. We had music on, no music, top up, top down, etc. and road/exhaust noise was not an issue. I have Soul OAPs and valved exhaust, I did drive with valves set to factory mode on occasions though.

Alan C.

I just turn my hearing aids off.🤣

MaddMike

I use the Alpine ear plus on my motorcycle as they have great noise filters, are comfortable for all day riding, and I can still hear music clearly and hold conversations on the phone as I ride. On a recent road trip in the Spyder, I took a pair with me. I was able to drive the majority of 1,200 miles with the top down listening to music or an audiobook with the plugs in (I do have the Burmester audio). I now just leave a set in the cigarette lighter compartment.

Adrift

Put me in the “dangerous and illegal” camp

Read your iPhone texts heads down, why dontcha.

And people say evolution isn’t real.

Rasputin.

You need to be able to hear emergency vehicles. OP really shouldn't do this.

FergusH

Perhaps I misunderstand how they work but I thought that with noise cancelling headphones on - assuming you’re not an idiot and also playing music - you’d be *more* likely to hear emergency vehicles because the headphones are canceling out continuous, predictable background noise but not doing anything for random noise like someone talking to you or a siren.

slilley

I've always used a set of Bose QC35 noise-canceling headphones when driving my Miata track car (now sold) long distances. I think the concern about safety hearing emergency vehicles is unfounded. All these headphones do is tamp down the offensive drone of highway driving. You can still have a conversation with a passenger (if you had one), and you can certainly hear emergency vehicles approaching! I always joked that the Bose noise-canceling headphones made my Miata feel more Benz-like inside - it's amazing the calming effect of a quiet drive. But it's in no way unsafe...unless you are being an idiot. If you crank up your tunes with either headphones on or off (i.e. no headphones, just the stock audio system at full volume), you will have a far harder time hearing emergency vehicles.

So let's not try to compare headphone wearers with those who are texting while driving. The two are not comparable in any way.

I suspect the people that think otherwise probably don't have a set of the so-called noise-canceling headphones - otherwise you'd know that assertion is pretty ludicrous.

Rasputin.

I actually own QC as well but I think the 15s as I’ve gotten them quite a few years ago now. I also own a pair of Sony MDR-1000X, which for a different conversation, I find to be a much higher quality headphone. The noise cancelling is much better in my experience on flights (I used to fly to Japan often and would bring both and the Bose would cut out both lower battery and higher turbulence). As compared to the 35s, I do not know, but it’s worth comparing. I’ve been very impressed.

Okay, back to your other point. In addition to it being illegal to where I live, and therefore risk of being pulled over for wearing them while driving, I just wouldn’t be comfortable wearing it. The noise cancelling absolutely does work, especially in the Sonys as I previously mentioned. I’m sure you’d hear an emergency vehicle if it was a block away without question, but I’d be driving wondering if I’m not hearing something. All of this is assuming you don’t actually end up listening to music, because if so, good luck hearing **** if you have half decent NC headphones.

I’ve never been able to have a conversation with my nc headphones without yelling. I would not be thrilled about the quality of the noise cancelling function of those to be honest, but that wouldn’t be surprising coming from Bose. By the way, I own the aforementioned Bose, Bose soundsport, and Bose Soundbar 700 with subwoofer. For the counterpoint, I have aforementioned Sony NC and a Sony HT-ST5000 with subwoofer. The Sony products have been much better in terms of sound quality and reliability through my experience. This is starting to sound like one of these Bose vs Burmester threads we have here now so I’ll stop lol