Written question asked by Lord Patten (Conservative) on Tuesday, 14 April 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 28 April 2026. It was answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Labour) on Monday, 27 April 2026 on behalf of the Department for Transport.
Cycling: Audio Equipment
- Question
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To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the danger, if any, caused by cyclists using headphones on roads.
- Answer
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No such assessment has been made, and it is not an offence to use headphones while cycling. However, if this is done in such a way as to put other road users in danger, the police may choose to bring a prosecution for careless or dangerous cycling.
Rule 66 of the Highway Code states that people should “avoid any actions that could reduce control of your cycle” and Rule 67 says that people should “be aware of traffic coming up behind you, including other cyclists”. Wearing headphones could indirectly affect a person’s ability to comply with either of these rules.
Secondary information
- Type
- Written question
- Reference
- HL16369
- Session
- 2024-26
- Subjects
- Cycling Audio equipment Safety
- Link
- View this Written question on www.parliament.uk
Librarians' tools
- Timestamp
- 2026-04-27 17:27:20 +0100
- URI
- http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/lords/2024-26/HL16369
- In Indexing
- http://indexing.parliament.uk/Content/Edit/1?uri=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/lords/2024-26/HL16369
- In Solr
- https://search.parliament.uk/claw/solr/?id=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/lords/2024-26/HL16369