March 12, 2008 Hello! Years ago, parents would be sure to remind their teens to have "phone money" when they went out. Whatever the cost of a pay phone was, parents felt better if their kids had change in their pocket for at least one call. With pay phones becoming a rarer and rarer sight, and cell phones on the rise, many now feel safer if there is a cell phone (rather than change) in that pocket and ready to be used in case of an emergency. Parents feel better knowing they can reach their teens--and knowing that their teens can reach them. Teens feel safer knowing that they can call someone for help if there is a problem. The problem? At what point does "feeling" safer get in the way of actually "being" safer?
"College students packing cell phones feel safer than those
without and are more likely to take risky walks at night, a
new study finds. The research reveals that carrying a cell
phone can amp up risk-taking, particularly among women.
'Students seem to feel less vulnerable when they carry a
cell phone, although there's not evidence that they really
are,' said study researcher Jack Nasar, a professor of city
and regional planning at Ohio State University. 'If
anything, they are probably less safe because they are
paying less attention to their surroundings.'" A cell phone is a good thing to have if there is a problem and there is a need to call for help. Having a cell phone, however, does not prevent a crime from taking place just because it is there. When used properly a cell phone can provide safety to those who are faced with the possibility of walking alone at night--as they can call for a ride. Additionally, those who are faced with the possibility of riding with a drunk driver can call for a sober ride home. It is when cell phones are used improperly, or when people get a false sense of security just because they know they have a phone, that they can make a situation more dangerous.
"Research amongst drivers suggests that pedestrians using
mobile telephones may behave riskily while crossing the
road, and casual observation suggests concerning levels of
pedestrian mobile-use. An observational field survey of 270
females and 276 males was conducted to compare the safety
of crossing behaviours for pedestrians using, versus not
using, a mobile phone. Amongst females, pedestrians who
crossed while talking on a mobile phone crossed more
slowly, and were less likely to look at traffic before
starting to cross, to wait for traffic to stop, or to look
at traffic while crossing, compared to matched controls.
For males, pedestrians who crossed while talking on a
mobile phone crossed more slowly at unsignalised crossings.
These effects suggest that talking on a mobile phone is
associated with cognitive distraction that may undermine
pedestrian safety." It's not just drivers who can get distracted while talking on their phones, it can be dangerous for distracted pedestrians, as well--and if the driver and the pedestrian both hit that intersection at the same time, then tragedy can strike. Teens and college students often need to walk to get from place to place. Whether crossing the street to get to class, or trying to get home after being out with friends across campus, many end up walking to get to where they need to be.
"ASHLAND, Ore -- The Ashland School Board held a meeting
Monday night to discuss crosswalk safety after the death of
an SOU [Southern Oregon University] student at a downtown
crosswalk last month. School leaders are now worried about
younger students crossing the streets. Beginning March
31st, Ashland High School band, orchestra, choir and
physical education classes will be held at Lincoln
Elementary while construction begins on the high school
campus. This means students will be crossing Siskiyou
Boulevard several times a day. 'We've got to teach our kids
pedestrian safety. That means not using i-Pods or talking
on their cell phones, looking both ways, all those old
fashioned things,' says Ashland High School Principle Jeff
Schlecht." Whether listening to an i-Pod or the person on the other end of a cell phone call, it is more difficult to listen and pay attention to one's surroundings. When walking at night, near traffic, or just trying to get to class, a person's safety is partially dependent upon their ability to stay safe in their surroundings.
"Use crosswalks and be careful crossing streets. Cars are
required to stop when you step into the crosswalk (where
there's no traffic light), but they don't always do it.
Make sure they see you and don't dart into traffic. They
may be required to stop, but in a confrontation with a car,
you will lose.
Where you walk is important, as is how...
Stuff can be replaced, even that cell phone. In case of an emergency, it is a good thing to have... Even better, it can be used to call for a ride and reduce the chance of an emergency situation even happening. That said, cell phones can cause problems when they become a distraction. As people keep their cell phones in their pockets (they are easier to use when not in the bag that was just stolen), cell phones also need to be kept in perspective. There is only so much that even the most hi-tech phone can do to keep a person safe.
Questions of the Week: Please email me with any ideas or suggestions. I look forward to reading what you have to say. Cindy |
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