Fatal Distraction

Among all the sordid stories making the news headlines,there seem to be several on jaywalking pedestrians losing their lives because they didnt hear or see a vehicle approaching.

Among all the sordid stories making the news headlines,there seem to be several on jaywalking pedestrians losing their lives because they didnt hear or see a vehicle approaching. In most cases,it was a regular,uneventful day. The victims were tuned out with earplugs,listening to good music,a story,or the news,before kick-starting another day at work. Its shocking,and seems almost unbelievable that something as random as that can potentially kill you.

Very few of us are lucky enough to live next to our place of work. Life never pans out that way. And commuting is,plain and simple,dreadful. Its one of the biggest curses of modern living in a city. And you have to do it every day,for all your working life. In Indian cities,a daily commute can involve a bus,a metro train and an auto-rickshaw,before you finally reach your destination. Those of us fortunate enough to be driving a car should consider ourselves lucky when we feel rage at the endless waiting at traffic lights and jams. It could be so much worse. In the West,people move homes when they change jobs to be closer to work,but in India since transaction costs are so high,its too tough to uproot yourself and switch homes so easily. We stay put,and philosophically deal with the horror of the daily grind. So,many commuters do what they can to make that daily,dreadful chore,just a little bit better plug into MP3 players,cellphones or iPods that offer some sort of entertainment. (Thank goodness for cheap,portable,electronic devices.) But this,it turns out,can be fatal.

Plenty of papers have been written on earplugs,music and deaths,with researchers suggesting the distraction caused while walking with headphones is akin to blindness. We need all our senses to be active to perceive danger when the auditory response is shut down,we miss the cues completely of blaring horns,vehicular noise and loud sirens that serve as warnings. Weve been educated enough on the hazards of drinking and driving,talking on a cellphone and driving (even on a hands free),and both are illegal. Now,besides talking,through a smartphone you can be distracted by video games and many of us update our Facebook status while waiting at red lights. Those updates,especially during rush hour in the evenings,are usually rants on traffic and the frustration all of us feel on the roads.

Will there be a time that headphones and earplugs are also deemed illegal? The data available does suggest risk,so it makes sense for those who like to listen to music while they commute,or walk,to think before tuning out. Or,at least,the devices should come with a warning,to be aware of the environment you are using them in.

In the science fiction movie starring Justin Timberlake,In Time,the currency of life isnt money,its time. People dont age,but theyre required to work to earn time,which is then traded among people. When your clock runs to zero,you die. In real life also,time is a scarce commodity.

We need to evaluate trade offs between time,money and the burdens of daily living and before picking a fight with the bus driver whos just swerved into your lane,remember,he has the lousiest job on the planet. hutkayfilms@gmail.com

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Fatal Distraction

Among all the sordid stories making the news headlines,there seem to be several on jaywalking pedestrians losing their lives because they didnt hear or see a vehicle approaching.

Among all the sordid stories making the news headlines,there seem to be several on jaywalking pedestrians losing their lives because they didnt hear or see a vehicle approaching.