Pedestrian Safety: Not Just for the Young or the Old
We’ve all seen it before. Perhaps you’ve even done it yourself: Walking or jogging with your music blasting in your ears. Time and again, it seems that people make the mistake of exercising outside with traffic around them while they are in their own little world filled with audio books, rock music or some other kind of eclectic mix. While there is no rule against having your headphones on while you are outside, you should exercise caution while using them. The following are some brief suggestions:
- Don’t ever wear headphones at night if you are exercising.
- If you wear headphones during the day while you are outside, keep the audio low enough so that you can hear what is going on around you.
- Take one of the ear buds out while exercising.
Another mistake that we tend to make when we are outdoors often occurs at intersections. While at intersections, make sure that you are doing the following:
- Cross at designated crosswalks or at traffic lights. As tempting as it may seem to cross in the middle of the street or in between parked cars, DON’T.
- Make contact with the drivers to ensure that they can see you and are aware of the actions you are going to take.
- Only cross the road when the traffic is at a complete stop.
- Wear bright colored clothing and/or reflective clothing when exercising in the early morning or evening.
Remember, there is no price that you can put on safety; and as frustrating as it can be sometimes to have to share the road with motorists, remember that you are sometimes a motorist as well! Being safe is better than being sorry.
One somewhat safer but kind of geeky-looking way to finesse the audio issue is to tape your earphones to the temples of your glasses, so they are near but not in your ear. That way, it’s easier to exercise with music but still hear the traffic. I find it’s more comfortable as well.