I tend to visualize the scenes when I listen to a story. It will be dangerous for me to listen and drive.
Music makes me sleepy, but I have found that audio books keep me awake. I have found that they are about the same length as my drive, so one on the way to NC and one on the way home. Perfect. I really enjoyed Amy Poehler’s book and Julie Sweeney’s book, and they were read by the comediennes themselves. I was expecting David Brooks to read his own book, but it was not him.
I bike mostly on dedicated bike trails with little to no sharing the road with cars. I think you make a valid point, at least as it relates to listening with head phones and getting so caught up in a story that it could actually be quite risky.
I listen to audiobooks while exercising, gardening and housecleaning. Chores are much more palatable this way.