lph - I think that differing attitudes about driving between countries are also in play. I'm thinking that where you are the drivers are much more careful and courteous of you all on bikes.

It might be perfectly safe to be a bit tuned out on your bike in, say, Amsterdam - where biking is as common as walking about, most people do it pretty slowly, bikes are often separated from traffic, the auto traffic is also moving relatively slowly and the drivers are quite aware of all of the foot and bike traffic.

Here in the US, its the opposite. If you walk around or ride around the least bit distracted you are taking your life in your hands. Traffic generally moves fast and is aggressive and you really do have to assume that drivers have little to no regard for your life... There are even places in the US that are thinking about making crossing the street wearing headphones illegal...

Is it necessarily fair that we should allow drivers to run our lives the way they do - no, but it is the reality of things the way they are.

I do find it annoying when walkers, runners, bladers, cyclists are budded(or on the phone...), clueless and weaving/wandering around - but that's not why I discourage people from wearing ear buds....If I'm on a trail where I'm likely to encounter those type of folks, it's my responsibility to not run them down.... I discourage earbud wearing because I really don't think it is safe to do here. If you are going to interact with traffic in the US, you need all of your wits about you and earbuds, even low, really do tend to tune a person's brain out - whether or not they even realize it.

In the end it is not my decision - if it is legal in your jurisdiction you can do it, and in most places it still is. You still won't ever find me doing it, nor do I have to agree with anyone that it is a good decision. I think is also likely that slowly, like seatbelt wearing (went from encouraged, to mandatory over many years), places in the US will start to outlaw earphones on bikes and maybe even for peds.