Beware! There seems to be a new type of cyclist out there – debt not the Lycra lout but the iPod zombie. I must declare an interest as a keen cyclist, pedestrian, train passenger, driver and, indeed, iPod user. However, like drinking and driving, I don't think iPods and cycling mix. On my bike, audible warnings are just as important as visual ones. Even if you can see what is in front of you, you have to hear what is behind you as you move out to avoid potholes or raised manhole covers property.

Your personal stereo gives you personal music which may affect the way you ride. Research shows that loud, fast music can raise blood pressure and adrenaline, which might just tempt you to take chances stocks.

I suppose most people see zombies as creatures staggering steadily forward towards their goal, undeterred and unharmed by all that is being used to try to stop them. But this new breed of zombie evolving on the roads of Britain is finding its way into road casualty reports dental insurance.

With earphones firmly in, cyclists lose vital clues to what is going on around them. Those who have been brought up as part of the Walkman or iPod generation are absorbed in their music zone at home, on the bus or train, and even at work. People with hearing difficulties tend to compensate for their lack of hearing on the road – iPod zombies don't.