One thing that caught our eye recently was all this talk about the increased dangers of pedestrians wearing headphones. This information seems to be sprouting up everywhere and causing some serious debate between runners, joggers, and walkers on whether or not it is acceptable to wear headphones when training outdoors.
The problem is that no one really seems to be addressing the root cause. Just to clarify, headphones are not the root cause. Music is not the root cause.
So, what’s the root cause?
Awareness.
The bottom line is that no matter what you’re doing outdoors, if you’re going to be training around live traffic or around any other environmental dangers then you need to be aware of your surroundings.
Headphone manufacturers are very aware of this fact and have been, especially as of late, creating sports headphones that allow the runner to enjoy their music while maintaining awareness.
The bottom line is that you can run safely with headphones, if you are willing to take the necessary precautions.
6 Safety Tips for Listening to Music While Running with Headphones
We’ve compiled a list of five simple tips that will help you become a safe runner outdoors.
Tip #1 – Don’t wear noise cancelling headphones.
If you’re not sure what noise cancelling or noise isolating headphones are then you can checkout our article on the differences between them here.
Noise cancelling headphones block out sound around you. And like we mentioned above you need to be aware of your surroundings if you’re going to run and listen to music.
Tip #2 – Wear headphones with reflective material.
If you’ll be running at after dusk or before dawn it’s a good idea to wear running earphones with reflective material. Choose a quality pair like the Polk Audio UltraFit 3000 Headphones.
Tip #3 – Utilize the Awareness! iPhone App.
The Awareness! iPhone App is one of the top 500 apps and is essential for anyone running and listening to music from their iPhone. This app let’s you listen to music and still hear things around you, like people talking.
Tip #4 – Find a running group.
The old adage remains true here: safety in numbers. A group of two or more individuals running is much more visible than just one person. So if you are set on listening to music while you run, try to do it with another person.
Tip #5 – Consider wearing on ear workout headphones.
Headphones like the Motorola S305 that sit on top of the ear rather than in the ear allow the user to adjust the headphone in order to pick up some ambient noise, such as cars.
Tip #6 – Keep your volume down.
Turning your volume up can drown out the sounds around you, so be sure not to turn your volume up too loud. Besides, it could be damaging your hearing.
Which Running Headphones Should You Choose?
Now that you have a better idea of how to run safely while listening to music, we wanted to provide you with some running headphones to choose from.
Regardless of what you do while you train always be aware of your environment and consider safety before anything else.
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