From guests on “Carpool Karaoke” to characters in “Barbie”, many of us love to jam out in the car. Some of us might get so caught up in our music that we forget to take off our headphones.
In several states, wearing those ear buds or other audio devices behind the wheel is actually illegal. So, make sure you read this before your next trip to make sure you obey the law and stay safe.
According to a Forbes Advisor article from this month, there are seven states where it is always illegal to use earphones while driving: Alaska, California, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Virginia and Washington.
There are even more states where driving with earphones is illegal under certain circumstances.
Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island allow drivers to have a listening device in one ear when taking a phone call. Illinois, New York and Ohio allow drivers can have a listening device in one ear for any reason. In Arizona, school bus drivers and those driving for licensed childcare facilities cannot wear headphones and in Massachusetts you can only have a listening device in one ear if you are listening to a GPS device.
While driving with headphones is technically legal in other states, it may fall under distracted driving laws. Take Kansas, for example.
“While the state has no laws against wearing headphones or ear buds while behind the wheel, it does enforce laws to punish distracted driving, which in some cases may include the use of such devices,” said a recent report in the Wichita Eagle.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the percentage of drivers speaking with visible headsets while driving remained unchanged from the previous year’s level of 0.4% in 2021. Recommendations from the administration warn motorists not to wear headphones to listen to music.
“Distracted driving is dangerous, claiming 3,522 lives in 2021,” said the NHTSA. It said distracted driving covers “any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system – anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving.”
Forbes Advisor also noted that, with headphones on, drivers could lose their ability to hear other vehicles and warning sounds such as emergency sirens.
“If you cause an auto accident while driving with earphones on, it’s also possible you could be charged with reckless driving and could become responsible for the losses you caused other people to endure in an accident,” said the outlet.