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Reader's Response Draft 2

According to “Floor lights help ‘smartphone zombies’ keep eye on the road”, (Tan, 2017), new LED strips are being installed at pedestrian crossings around Singapore, in order to raise awareness of road safety for millennials. Dealing with ‘smartphone zombies’ is an issue many, metropolitan and cosmopolitan, cities around the world are facing, with several countries already launching pedestrian safety regulations regarding phones.

Menon (2017) mentioned that many pedestrians are hooked to their phones, so any method to better the safety of pedestrians are welcomed. According to the Traffic Police (2017), the accident rates were at a 4 year high with pedestrian accidents making one-third of all fatal road accidents. Tan then states that the new feature will make crossing easier and safer with the assistance of the LED strips.

Floor lights would be able to help notify the general populace when it is safe to cross, however, the safety of pedestrians should not solely be based upon these lights. As pedestrian fatalities rise due to vehicular accidents, ‘smartphone zombies’ should be alert to their surroundings when they cross, instead of being informed by lights on the floor. Steps should be taken to teach and develop road safety habits.

In this day and age, there is a huge emphasis on creating an environment where technology can be fully integrated into our society. But with that, people have begun to rely too heavily on it. Technology should help us create an environment where it can aid efficiency without risking safety.

According to Margetta (2015), Crossing the road safely is a fundamental skill that most people learn while growing up. We have all been taught to look left and right before we cross and to always keep our eyes on the road as well as on oncoming vehicles. As many of us grow up, this habit tends to be natural as we cross the road. However, now that the floor lights are introduced, the whole purpose of the lights clashes with the basic principle of safety on the road, being aware of your surroundings.

We should prevent the problem from festering and turning into a bigger problem in the future as the current ‘smartphone zombie’ users will be the next generation of parents of Singapore. They would want their future kids to be able to look out for themselves and cross the road safely. At the same time, to also set an example for the younger kids who will be taking their place in a few years.

Therefore, the government should look towards preventing people crossing the road carelessly, with their eyes glued to their phones, instead of accommodating it. There should also be a safety guide done up to teach people about basic road safety and what you should do when you are crossing the street.

In conclusion, the floor lights may help solve the immediate problem of pedestrian dissatisfaction as they are now able to cross the roads while using their phones, but the culture of this problem may turn into a national safety issue in the future.

References:
Margetta, R. (2015). What are kids thinking when crossing the street? Retrieved from https://phys.org/news/2015-06-fundamental-safety-questionwhat-kids-street.html

Tan, C. ( 2017). Floor lights help 'smartphone zombies' keep eye on the road. Retrieved from
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/floor-lights-help-smartphone-zombies-keep-eye-on-the-road

Singapore Police Force. (2017). Annual road traffic situation 2016. Retrieved from

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