The Belgian government asked the Belgian Road Safety Institute's (IBSR/BIVV's) scientific advice regarding "MP3 players (portable sound carrier used via headphone/earphone) and traffic safety (pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicle drivers)". The advice should focus on: 1. Risk assessment of the use of MP3 players in traffic; 2. Legal regulations around the use of MP3 players in traffic. In both cases the focus should lay on the target groups: pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicle drivers. Thus, the aim of this study is to identify scientific literature on the risks of using an MP3 player in traffic and to give an overview of legal regulations in other countries on the topic. The authors of this report decided to gather information on the topic via two ways. (1) Information regarding risk assessment of MP3 players in traffic, will be gathered by a systematic literature review in scientific databases; (2) information on the legal regulations of other countries concerning the use of MP3 players in traffic, will be gathered through of an experts' survey (International Traffic Safety Data and Analysis Group (IRTAD)). Information of both sources will be taken into account in the general results of both parts (literature review and experts' survey). (3) Final conclusions and discussion will summarize and discuss the results of both previous parts. The last chapter (4) presents the final recommendation to the Belgium government.
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