Commentary Assesment

Title of Article: Deaf of the World

1) Summary of article
Youngsters absorbed in their cellphones or music players face greater risk of accidents on the road. Distraction from handheld electronic devices such as mobile phones, ipods and MP3 players are one of the major cause of road accidents. Singaporeans are among the highest text-messaging users in the world. Many youngsters find that without their cellphones or music, it will be boring. Thus many developed the habit of text messaging and listening to music at high volume while on the road. Also, another mindset of these youngsters would be that it is the responsibility of others to look out for them as they are occupied by what they are doing.

2) Commentary
I was walking home as usual when I realized that a teenager, looking down and pressing away on his mobile phone, was heading straight for me. I refused to budge and we collided. Even though I was wrong, I really hate people like him, regardless whether they are listening to music or texting on their phones. These teenagers have one thing in common, absolutely no regard for their own safety and the safety of others. They think that it is the responsibility of others to look out for them, which cannot be the case! In my opinion, teenagers should not be absorbed in their cellphones or music players as they get distracted, and face greater risk of accidents on the road. Also, safety comes above everything and it is the responsibility of these teenagers to look around and confirm their safety.
Youngsters get distracted when using their mobile phones or listening to music on the road, which leads to greater risk of accidents. Studies found that distraction from handheld electronic devices is one of the major causes of road accidents. Although people might say that it is possible to multi-task, a person cannot focus as much on his surroundings as how he normally can. As proved by RAC foundation’s recent study which found that sending messages and driving simultaneously reduced reaction time by 35 percent. Also, in a test conducted by reporters on 60 teenagers, out of the 30 who were sending messages, 5 bumped into the reporters; out of the other 30 who were listening to music, 12 did not hear the bicycle bell. We can see that people are distracted by text messaging and music and this causes accidents. We do not want ourselves to be involved in an accident, do we? So, it is always better to be on the alert, to do that, people should not plug into music or text message while on the road, regardless whether driving or walking.
To some teenagers, the short journeys of going home and going out might be monotonous and boring; listening to music or text messaging on the road cures that bore. In the cases of most teenagers, this has already become a habit. Student Phyllis Ng who almost bumped into a reporter while texting said: “I often bump into others but I’ll still text away as it’s already a habit”. Miss Farhana is also one of those who think this way, she admitted that she knew how dangerous it is but would not stop listening to music at high volume as it just sets the mood. I think otherwise, for me, safety comes before everything. Text messaging and listening to music at high volume while walking or driving would mean constantly putting yourself in danger. As far as I’m concerned, no one should take their lives so lightly. Some might say that it is safe since nothing has happened yet. Nothing has happened so far does not mean that nothing will happen in the future, when an accident occurs, it will be too late. From another perspective, the word “habit” means routines of behaviour that are repeated regularly, and tend to occur subconsciously. People who developed such habits should try to curb it, or reduce the volume in which they are listening to music to a level of which they can hear what is happening in the surroundings.
Some feel that it is the responsibility of others to look out for them when they are occupied by their phones and music. Seah Jia Hao, one of the teenagers who did not hear the bicycle bell behind him, said, “I don’t think it’s dangerous. If I can’t hear a car when it’s behind, it’s the driver’s responsibility to look out for me because I’m in front of him”. Although in most cases the driver is wrong, that does not mean that the victim is has no responsibility in this. Pedestrians must be alert and care for their own safety and not blame drivers when accident occurs. Thus in this case, I would say that Jia Hao is at fault because he had absolutely no regard for his own safety. In some cases of traffic accidents, pedestrians are at fault too; an example would be students dashing across roads. By doing this they are endangering themselves and not being responsible for their own safety. Instead of risking everything on the driver, we should also account for part of the responsibility and ensure our own safety.
Till now, on the streets, I still dislike people who text away on their phones and people who left their mind and soul in the musical realm. They should not be absorbed in their text messaging and music, as this distracts and increases the risk of accidents. Also lives should not be taken lightly and they should be responsible for their own safety.

Ng Guo Xiang (18) 3B