The Official 'Wearing Ear Plugs While Riding' Thread

[ALANRIDER7]

What is the real story regarding earplugs while riding?

There are off the shelf types and custom molded ones. Both reduce noise levels. The law seems to interpret them differently.

Does using a plug other than a custom molded type mean you automatically get a ticket?

[boney]

In '05 or '06 the "custom" part of ear plugs was stricken from the law. You are free to wear whatever you wish- EDIT, so long as they are designed "to attenuate injurious noise" and you can hear a siren. There's a quote of the law in another thread in this section.

[Razel]

Originally posted by boney
In '05 or '06 the "custom" part of ear plugs was stricken from the law. You are free to wear whatever you wish- even wadded up toilet paper (unused, of course.) Not Ed Zachary...
27400(d) A person wearing personal hearing protectors in the form of earplugs or molds that are specifically designed to attenuate injurious noise levels. The plugs or molds shall be designed in a manner so as to not inhibit the wearer's ability to hear a siren or horn from an emergency vehicle or a horn from another motor vehicle.
Note that wadded-up toilet paper isn't specifically designed for those particular orifices

[motorman4life]

If this is the OFFICIAL thread, you may want to have it reference these previous threads:
http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=163361&highlight=foam+and+earplugs

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=163754&highlight=foam+and+earplugs

and

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=160649&highlight=foam+and+earplugs

[MackeyStingray]

as long as you can hear emergency vehicles and act accordingly, you won't get cited for the violation is what i'm guessing regardless of which you wear.

[boney]

Originally posted by Razel
Not Ed Zachary...
27400(d) A person wearing personal hearing protectors in the form of earplugs or molds that are specifically designed to attenuate injurious noise levels. The plugs or molds shall be designed in a manner so as to not inhibit the wearer's ability to hear a siren or horn from an emergency vehicle or a horn from another motor vehicle.
Note that wadded-up toilet paper isn't specifically designed for those particular orifices

DOH! You caught my wise-acre remark while I was out reading up! Heh.

[wazzuFreddo]

if i get a ticket for it oh well, i'd rather be able to hear when I am 40

[trekuk]

Originally posted by MackeyStingray
as long as you can hear emergency vehicles and act accordingly, you won't get cited for the violation is what i'm guessing regardless of which you wear.

The interesting part starts when the ear plugs happen to have speakers inside them. The VC spells out specific rules for speakers that explicitly covers the whole ear (only one ear allowed to be covered), and following the letter of the law that is probably is different than plugs one stuffs into the ear (required to hear sirens & horn). In past discussions here, LEOs have said they could cite for it (speaker ear plugs + mp3) anyway, and bottom line appears to be that in the life of MC riding and enforcement thereof there are bigger fish to fry.

[motorman4life]

Originally posted by trekuk
...bottom line appears to be that in the life of MC riding and enforcement thereof there are bigger fish to fry. That is, until your fish is being fried. :laughing :laughing :wow :laughing