Pedestrians, Cell Phones, & IPods

To be safe, walkers and runners need to see and hear traffic without distractions caused by cell phones and iPods, especially in winter darkness.

I recently read a short news article about the dangers of walking while talking on a cell phone. We have heard about the possible dangers and distraction of trying to drive while talking on cell phone. This article was the first I had read about possible dangers of using cell phones when walking. Apparently pedestrians are just as likely to be distracted by cell phones as drivers. While distracted they can do dangerous things like walk into traffic. If a car and a pedestrian collide, it's not hard to figure out who gets hurt more.

In a half marathon I ran about a month ago, the race organizers outlawed the use of iPods during the race. It is a safety issue. They wanted runners to be able to hear as well as see traffic, and therefore reduce the chance of a runner being hit by a car in the race.

I have never had any desire for either of these devices while walking or running. I prefer to simply enjoy the outdoors without electronic distractions. I had never thought of the safety issue, but it makes sense.

In the winter months more people walk or run in the darkness. For safety if you walk or run after dark, do what you can to increase your visibility. For added safety, make sure that you don't decrease your ability to hear traffic. Also make sure that you are not distracted. Pay attention to what you are doing. Leave your cell phone and iPod at home when you walk or run after dark or near traffic.