Newbie wrote “with (buds) in you might not hear the ambulance, firetruck or police sirens...so I'm told...
I hear this a lot, usually from people who have never tried it. It is an urban myth for anyone using “normal” audio volume. I have been riding a bicycle for years and wearing “hang ons” (they are not ear buds, they just hang onto/into your ears) and you can certainly hear nearby birds chirping, kids laughing, dogs barking (always important on a bicycle) and a siren at well over half a mile away. Same thing for my Otios bluetooth earbuds. Just think about how loud a Robin chirp can sound at 40 - 50 yards.
But before you all start to tell me how dangerous my tunefull riding can be (or talking on the phone while riding my bike) and before you believe that ALL states (and all of Canada) feel that using ear buds while driving is illegal, let’s read what the AAA tells us, by state (and obtw, California allows an earbud in one ear while driving).
https://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/headsets/
The vast majority of US states allow the use of ear buds while driving with cell/smart phones. Most do not distinguish between phone calls and on-phone music.
One last thing: A number of states are now trying to distinguish between “headset” or “earphones” which totally cover the ear, and “earbuds” which hang onto or are inserted into the ear. The external sound reception characteristics are different for each so this is something that should be defined.
Another last thing: Many newer hearing aids are now Bluetooth enabled to connect to your smart phone to allow the user to do phone calls and many states allow this. How can you tell if they are listening to background noise, tunes or a phone call?
And the last, last thing is, Massachusetts has, without doubt, the strictest and most ambiguous anti-headphone law in the country (thou shalt not, period, except
but it is OK for me to wear them when I am getting navigation directions from “Siri” on my iPhone to guide my route or to get me home. 