A few years ago, I conducted a radio interview with a representative from AAA about how technology affects the rate of accidents. We talked at length about how cell phones and laptops distract the driver, making him or her more at risk of having an accident. I learned a fact that surprised me then: It wasn't the technology being handled that caused the accident; it was the distraction.

Statistics did not support the concept that holding a cell phone while driving is more dangerous than keeping both hands on the steering wheel while using a hands-free headset with that same cell phone.

In fact, listening to the radio and talking with the person in the passenger seat, said the AAA statistics, caused just as many accidents as holding a cell phone to your ear.

Yet state legislature after state legislature passed bills that prohibit driving a car while using a cell phone without a hands-free device. What they haven't yet covered is the use of electronic devices in other pursuits that cause accidents -- and in my mind are more dangerous than a cell phone in a driver's hands.

The other day I saw two sets of bicycle riders hooked up to their iPods via their gleaming white ear buds and cords. Not only were they distracted by the music as they pedaled in the street with all the motor traffic; but they were unable to hear the sound of the motor vehicles around them through their ear buds, thereby making it more likely that they would not know if a car or truck was on their tail.

To make the matter worse, several of the riders were letting their cords hang down in such a way that the cords could get tangled in the handlebars or another part of their self-powered vehicles, possibly causing them to suddenly veer into traffic.

Because they were sharing the road with me, I became extra cautious, slowing down as I passed (much like I do when I see young children right next to the street -- watching for the sudden lurch onto the street). But other drivers didn't seem so cautious -- and were speeding by at 50 mph.

While several of the bicycle riders were teenagers, an indestructible type of human, a couple of them were in their 30s or 40s -- old enough to know they're not indestructible.

As I passed, I thought of my own children, hoping that they aren't inclined to plug their ears or dangle earphone cords as they ride their bikes.

I also thought about the effect of the hybrid cars that are gaining popularity. They're fun to drive, in part because they are so silent when running on battery power. But they complicate the situation by making it harder for the bicyclist or pedestrian to hear the car coming. Will those prove to be more accident prone?

Before you start accusing me of being a pessimist about technology, consider that the problem is not the devices but the way that people use them. They take chances -- not because they are ignoring the problem -- but because they don't even recognize the problem exists.

I'm not suggesting that every MP3 player come with warnings against riding your bicycle while listening, although it's probably within the same realm of sanity as the tags on pillows that say don't remove or the instructions with clock radios that tell the buyer not to stick your finger in the wall outlet.

Some things are just common sense. But common sense is not always so common, and sometimes we just have to point it out.