With the new year comes the grim tally of 2011’s road toll. Apart from acting as a sobering reminder to reduce speed and to avoid drink driving, the road toll also sheds light on how changing technological habits can have serious consequences in the real world.
This year’s road toll reached 288 in Victoria, where CompareMobilePlans is based. This is still in keeping with a general decline over the last three years. But the most surprising statistic is that 50 of those fatalities were pedestrians, many of whom were distracted when using an MP3 player or mobile phone. The rise in smartphone usage, increasing the likelihood that a distracted user has their eyes on their screen and not on what’s going on around them, is thought to be a contributing factor to this increase.
Recent smartphone developments like augmented reality (where the phone’s camera is overlaid with information about the shops and venues around you) and more immersive games that help tune out the world will no doubt contribute to this statistic. Keeping in mind that smartphones can be addictive, we have some real-world tips to help increase pedestrian safety:
1. Use a headset when making calls. A pedestrian increases their chances for an accident with anything that distracts them from the world around them, but using headphones or a hands-free headset when making calls is still marginally safer than holding the phone to your head.
2. Take out your headphones and put your phone away when crossing roads or getting on public transport. Trams weigh 50 tons – no point being distracted, even for a minute. And especially when getting on a tram from a roadside stop – most drivers know not to pass a stationary tram, but it only takes one bad or distracted driver to make a horrible mistake.
3. Watch out for cyclists! Sometimes, the only thing preventing a collision between a pedestrian and a cyclist is the click-click-click sound of bicycle gears. Cyclists are also increasingly listening to their own smartphones and mp3 players, despite this being illegal. Remember: a car or tram is big and scary and easier to spot, but a 75kg man on a 20 kg bike at 30 km/hour is still not going to be a pleasant thing to run into, or have run into you.
4. Don’t text or read while walking. Apart from the obvious safety risk of walking into traffic, poles, people’s front yards or the wrong building altogether, it also slows down your walking and your texting. Stopping, finding a safe place to stand and then finishing your task quickly won’t take you any extra time in the long run. And even if it does, being late a few minutes is absolutely the best possible outcome in this situation, and you don’t want to contemplate the worst.
5. Use dictation if you really, really must multitask while walking. The iPhone 4S has Siri, a personal digital assistant that can take commands like “Send a text to John saying I will be 5 minutes late” and do it all without needing to look at your screen. Android has numerous alternatives, like Vlingo and Speaktoit.
Remember: none of these tips are any type of replacement for common sense. Smartphones are invaluable tools for navigation and communication, but they won’t protect you from unsafe traffic habits. Keep your head up and your eyes and ears open, and stay safe this summer.