When mobile devices can become deadly distractions
An accident happened three blocks away from our house. The intersection was closed and traffic was diverted causing a bit of a jam during an early afternoon. Later, I found out on TV that an 11 year-old girl was struck while crossing the street—by a fire truck, on-duty responding to a call. The unnamed girl suffered serious injuries and was taken to the trauma center. There’s been no follow up and the there’s been no news on the recovery of this child. I told my daughter this story and she was aghast about this incident happening so close to home. Then she asked me “How come she didn’t see the fire truck? If the fire truck was going to a fire, how come she didn’t hear the siren?” Good questions. “Did she have headphones on?” Another good question. “Was she distracted?” I don’t know but she must have really been preoccupied not to hear or see the siren and the lights.
In a less tragic story, I was travelling on a commuter train and noticed a woman listening to her music loud enough for me to hear the tinny sounds from 4 rows away. When she finally looked up, she bolted for the exit but was too late as the train door had closed and the train starting to depart again. Clearly frustrated, she looked sadly out the window and returned to her seat—still with headphones on but at least the music was turned down. She had no choice but to wait for the next stop, which was another town away. It was getting dark and a light rain was falling. I saw her standing alone, staring at her phone on a dimly lit platform.
Not only do I need to teach my daughter to be street smart, she has to be aware of her surroundings in anticipation of others not being aware of theirs.
These are situations I never want to find myself in, much less a young woman, much less my 10 year-old daughter. For all the good reasons, my daughter has a cell phone. She has wired and Bluetooth headsets. But she uses them on the low setting at home and not allowed to use them while on the street or on public transit. She knows why and she accepts those reasons. I am often horrified at cyclists in the city who bike alongside major roads without lights or helmets. But it’s a good thing they remember to bring their headsets! Not! How are they able to hear traffic? While there is a lot of bustle in the city that should be tuned out, car horns and shouts can also serve as warnings, too.
For us, mobile devices have replaced many things: day planners, SONY Walkman, GPS, cameras and even the encyclopedia. It truly has become our Hitchhiker’s Guide. While I can teach my daughter how to manage her multifunctional device, I have no control of how others manage theirs. So, I have to assume that other people (perhaps behind a moving vehicle) can be distracted and put her in harm’s way.
Some rules are understood to be common like walking along the side of the road facing oncoming traffic or making eye contact with drivers at a 4-way stop sign. But unfortunately, common sense is not common and too often, some mistakes become tragic. So not only do I need to teach my daughter to be street smart, she has to be aware of her surroundings in anticipation of others not being aware of theirs.
