Originally Posted by SP00NFed
yeah i haven't bought an ipod yet, but i was told that doing that is illegal. I wonder why they let people use ear pieces to talk on there cell phones now though
Two reasons come to mind:
A) You have one ear free with a hands-free cell phone device.
B) It's generally expected that you won't be on the phone the entire time you're on the road.
Personally, I think it's a bad idea to talk on the phone
at all when you're driving. But in terms of being able to hear traffic noises and maintain situational awareness, headphones have the ability to completely drown out all external noises, while an single earphone still gives you the ability (in theory) to hear enough to aware of your surroundings.
Think of it this way... with an iPod cranked up, you would not be able to hear emergency vehicle sirens, horns honking or tires screeching to a halt... all the things you need to hear to be a safe and alert driver. That's why the laws specifically ban the use of headphones and stereo earphones.