Another mindless maniac joins the attack of the killer 'iPod zombie' cyclists.
Beware! There seems to be a new type of cyclist out there – not the Lycra lout but the iPod zombie. I must declare an interest as a keen cyclist, pedestrian, train passenger, driver and, indeed, iPod user. However, like drinking and driving, I don’t think iPods and cycling mix. On my bike, audible warnings are just as important as visual ones. Even if you can see what is in front of you, you have to hear what is behind you as you move out to avoid potholes or raised manhole covers.
Your personal stereo gives you personal music which may affect the way you ride. Research shows that loud, fast music can raise blood pressure and adrenaline, which might just tempt you to take chances.
I suppose most people see zombies as creatures staggering steadily forward towards their goal, undeterred and unharmed by all that is being used to try to stop them. But this new breed of zombie evolving on the roads of Britain is finding its way into road casualty reports.
With earphones firmly in, cyclists lose vital clues to what is going on around them. Those who have been brought up as part of the Walkmanor iPod generation are absorbed in their music zone at home, on the bus or train, and even at work. People with hearing difficulties tend to compensate for their lack of hearing on the road – iPod zombies don’t.
It isn’t just the lack of hearing. People go into their own private cocoon and their thoughts wander. They do things they wouldn’t normally do outside the cocoon.
The government THINK! campaign has warned of the dangers of pedestrians texting. The time has come for a campaign aimed at iPod users on the road.
Other common zombies are those who pace back and forth as they talk on mobile phones. In the office this is just a nuisance, but on the motorway hard shoulder this kind of sensory oblivion is downright dangerous with juggernauts driving by.
With 820 cyclists killed or seriously injured in the three months to June – a 19% rise on the same period last year – we need to do all we can to make cycling safer.
“Are you a zombie?” is a question for all who cycle, walk or drive.
[Article and photo: Graham Turner/Guardian 30 Nov 2009]