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Argentina clarifies rules on hearing and driving, bans headphones
🇦🇷 Argentina /Crime & Justice

Argentina clarifies rules on hearing and driving, bans headphones

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Context piece
  • Argentina's National Road Safety Agency (ANSV) states that hearing ability alone does not determine driving fitness.
  • Drivers with hearing loss over 45% require a specific medical evaluation to obtain or renew a license.
  • Driving with headphones is prohibited by national law, regardless of hearing ability.

Argentina's National Road Safety Agency (ANSV) has clarified regulations regarding hearing ability and driving, emphasizing that auditory capacity is not the sole criterion for determining fitness behind the wheel. The agency's disposition 300/2025 states that the ability to drive should be assessed based on "functional suitability criteria" rather than exclusively on hearing.

This means that partial hearing loss, by itself, does not prevent individuals from obtaining or renewing a driver's license. However, a specific medical evaluation is required for those with hearing loss exceeding 45%, as determined by a tonal audiometry test, even if they use hearing aids or cochlear implants. Individuals with severe bilateral hearing loss or deafness must also undergo this specialized assessment. If the evaluation is favorable and a license is granted, the vehicle must be equipped with both exterior rearview mirrors and an adapted interior mirror.

the ability to drive should not be based exclusively on a person's hearing ability, but on functional suitability criteria.

— ANSV disposition 300/2025Explaining the agency's stance on hearing and driving fitness.

While the ANSV sets national guidelines, local municipalities may impose additional requirements for licenses and circulation. Therefore, drivers are advised to consult the specific regulations in their place of residence. The agency also stresses the importance of maintaining full environmental awareness while driving.

Regardless of hearing ability, the ANSV strongly discourages driving with headphones or playing music at high volumes, as this can reduce the ability to perceive crucial sounds like horns, level crossing bells, sirens, or tire squeals. Furthermore, national traffic law (Law 24.449) explicitly prohibits "driving using headphones and continuously manually operated communication systems" under Article 48, subsection X. Article 77 of the same law also lists driving with headphones, manual communication systems, or video screens as a serious offense.

driving using headphones and continuously manually operated communication systems

— Law 24.449, Article 48, subsection XStating the legal prohibition of headphone use while driving.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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