Safe driving is EVERYONE's responsibility

All safe drivers know that the safest drivers are the ones who are completely focused on the road – they use a hands-free device on the phone (or better yet, they don't talk on the phone at all). But a recent study by the University of Maryland Medical Center have found that pedestrians are possibly at higher risk if they're walking down the street while wearing headphones.

Of course it's not that headphone use itself is dangerous. Rather, the study highlights a concern that pedestrians are no longer actively focused on their surroundings. Therefore, the risks are higher that they might hear a car horn or the screech of tires. We would suggest that the problem is even greater than that: Pedestrians might simply be too engaged in their iPod to realize that they are walking across a busy street. You can read a brief synopsis of the study here or a more detailed synopsis of the study here. (To be fair, the study has drawn some criticism for the way it gathered information and the way the media has handled the details of the report.)

We don't want to add to the potential scaremongering that this article accuses the media of doing. However, we do want to highlight one important thing that this study does remind us of: Safety on the road is everyone's responsibility:

• Drivers control heavy steel machines that hurtle down the road at great speeds. Drivers have the responsibility to control their vehicles in a responsible way – focused and in full control. They must also remember that they share the road with others – other cars and other people.
• Passengers have two responsibilities: They need to help drivers keep watch for unseen threats, and they need to make sure that they don't distract the driver from focusing on the road.
• Cyclists have a legal right to the road and are expected to do so safely and carefully. However, bicycles can steer tighter and stop shorter and are sometimes harder to see than cars; therefore, cyclists should use the road confidently but remember that cars need lots of warning.
• Pedestrians should cross the road in well-marked crossing zones. They should signal their intention and move across quickly. Like any other road-user, pedestrians should be focused and pay attention to the environment around them.
• Parents and teachers have a responsibility, too: Ensure that our kids are constantly reminded to be safe and cautious around roadways. Kids can so easily dart in and out of traffic, running unseen from a playground and in a split second they can be in traffic.

Safe driving is ultimately the responsibility of the person behind the wheel of the car. However, everyone plays a part in safety on the roads regardless of whether they are a seasoned driver or a toddler on a tricycle.