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iPod bike mount triggers safety debate

Michelle Meyers
Michelle Meyers wrote and edited CNET News stories from 2005 to 2020 and is now a contributor to CNET.
Michelle Meyers

The release of Strata's new iBikeMount has led to some online debate about safety issues related to wearing headphones while biking.

ibikemount
Credit: StrataSystems

Strata System's mount for the iPod Nano costs $30, and is aimed at keeping the music player "safely in plain site and within reach," instead of having to dig it out of a pocket, armband or from a hanging lanyard, according to the company.

The iBikeMount site includes a section about listening responsibly, but some wonder if there is ever a time when it's safe to bike with headphones on.

One reader of The Unofficial Apple Weblog pointed to a story out of Australia where police warn cyclists should "never listen to an iPod while a bike riding unless they have a death wish." And blogger Nino Marchetti pointed to news out of the UK about a cyclist "crushed to death under a lorry she could not hear because she was listening to her iPod."

Others, however, said cycling with headphones is fine so long as you do so responsibly, by keeping the volume down low and avoid more urban environments.