Noise-cancelling headphones are incredible. There’s nothing like blocking out the entire world around you — until you almost get hit by a bus like my colleague Edgar with the Bose QuietComfort 2. As an avid runner, I think I take safety pretty seriously, but there’s always more to do. I run in the daytime, stick to populated places, and look both ways more than once. However, there are times when a speeding car or truck can sneak up on you on winding small-town roads.

There are a few ways to tackle this problem, but they all have flaws. Regular earbuds are out because they block sound too well, and streaming through my phone speakers is out because, well, not everyone wants to hear what I’m listening to. I’ve tried running in silence, but I can only tolerate that for so many miles. That leaves me with one option: bone-conduction headphones or, more specifically-suited for a runner like me, the Shokz OpenRun Pro.