Via the website Sound Guys – It all seems blindingly obvious here. I suppose this is what the Darwin Awards are for
If you’re a frequent driver, you’ve probably seen someone at a red light or on the freeway with headphones on. The experience probably stuck out to you because that seems like a dangerous thing to do. It can’t possibly be legal, right?
Well, if you live in the US, chances are really good that even if it’s completely nonsensical, it isn’t explicitly forbidden in the state where you live—with a catch.
Heads up!
Times change and humans are fallible. The following was published on March 20, 2023 and every effort was made to link the statutes for each state directly (when and where they exist). However, this information may be out of date or less certain than it may appear here. Always check with you local Department of Motor Vehicles to verify information before treating what you read on the internet as infallible.
The law differs from state to state
Just like it is with pretty much any set of dangerous actions, where it’s illegal to drive with headphones on varies from state to state. If something is legal in Wyoming, that doesn’t mean it’s kosher in Colorado, for example.
To save time, I’ve compiled a map of states and where it’s illegal to drive with headphones to get us started. Dark red shows states that have made explicit laws against all headphone use by drivers, bright red states have distracted or impaired driving laws that likely cover headphone use, white states are states with some restrictions on the activity, and blue states don’t currently have a restriction on headphone use while driving.
