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@dancing james
However, riding with earphones can encourage people to use their eyes a lot more. Many cyclists are too reliant on their ears to tell them what is happening behind, but this does not give accurate information regarding speed or proximity of the vehicle behind. Also sound can reflect adding a further confusion - think about standing at a junction and you hear a police siren, often it can be hard to tell which direction it is coming from.
So using earphones can be a training aid to help encourage cyclists to use their eyes (which are a more reliable sense) than hearing to check what is going on behind. This can help people to adapt their riding style.
If music is such a distraction then radios and music should not be allowed in cars either. However many of us are used to having music going in most environments and functioning well. Some people can focus better with music playing.