In the article “Floor lights help ‘smartphone zombies’ keep eye on the road” Tan (2017), states that to help smartphone addicts stay alert on the road, Land Transport Authority (LTA) has installed LED strips before the crossing junctions of two popular vicinities in Singapore. The LED that can be seen in the day resembles the colour of conventional red and green man signals of a traffic light. However, this initiative is only a half-year pilot program and will allow the authority to evaluate its suitability in our climate. During this time, feedbacks from road users will be collected to measure the effectiveness.
With the reports from Traffic Police indicates a rise in pedestrian injuries, such initiative makes road crossing a safer experience for all users. While the article managed to provide statistics on the surge in traffic accidents, it is unclear if these are indeed caused by the usage of mobile phones as a considerable amount is said to be made up by the elderly in the article.
As I read the article, I can vividly recall as a teenager, I used to glue my eyes onto my smartphone wherever I go. When I begin to grow older, I stop doing so as I learn to understand the selfishness involve when I put myself and other road users at risk.
However, it seems to be unavoidable that human tends to be selfish creatures. While I begin to recall my mornings at the bus stop to school, it is not uncommon to spot jaywalkers. As a matter of fact, I realise that the jaywalkers are typically the elderly. Just recently, I witnessed an elderly jaywalking at a slow and steady pace. The next second, a car heading towards him right after a bend has to slow down to make way for him. I felt that the old man has not only put himself at risk but to other road users as well. Therefore, this brings me to the point next whereby it is questionable that "smartphone zombies" are responsible for the surge in traffic accidents.
Based on the news article "Fatal accidents in 2016 down, but more elderly killed" Loh (2017), reported that there is a drop in traffic deaths in 2016 compared to 2015. In contrast, traffic deaths involve elderly have shot up by 19.6 percent. In which, 16 out of 28 of deaths are caused by jaywalking. While Loh (2017) states the accidents involving elderly jaywalking continue to climb from 57 to 81 instances in 2016, Tan (2017), on the other article, failed to mention the surge in traffic accidents are indeed caused by "smartphone zombies".
Martha (2017) mentioned that even though there is a decrease in road deaths, a slight increase in road injuries is seen in the release by Singapore Police Force (2016). Nevertheless, elderly pedestrians remain a primary concern due to the rise in deaths and injuries involving them. To stress the importance of the concern, SPF has come up with an initiative called the "Road Master Test Kit" started November last year. More information can be seen in the news article, "Traffic-related deaths dropped marginally in 2016; elderly pedestrians remain a concern." (2017)
I would return to my personal experience and although 'smartphone zombies' are present around us, it is not necessary to be the cause that results in the rise in traffic misfortunes.
Evidently, based on statistics, the rise in jaywalkers in the elderly population poses serious problems in our daily road usage. Tan (2016) failed to come out with adequate evidence to show that indeed "smartphone zombies" is a rising issue in Singapore and explain the strong need for the LED strips.
References
Loh, R (2017). Fatal accidents in 2016 down, but more elderly killed. The New Paper. Retrieved, September 26, 2017, from
Martha, S (2017). Traffic-related deaths dropped marginally in 2016; elderly pedestrians remain a concern. The Online Citizen. Retrieved, September 26, 2017, from
Ng, K (2017). 20% jump in number of accidents involving elderly pedestrians. Today Online. Retrieved, September 26, 2017, from
Singapore Police Force (2016). Annual Road Traffic Situation 2016. Retrieved, September 26, 2017, from
http://www.police.gov.sg/~/media/spf/files/statistics/20170215_stats_road_traffic_situation_2016.pdf
Tan, C (2017). Floor lights help 'smartphone zombies' keep eye on the road. The Straits Times. Retrieved, September 20, 2016, from
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/floor-lights-help-smartphone-zombies-keep-eye-on-the-road
Edited on 2 October 2017
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/floor-lights-help-smartphone-zombies-keep-eye-on-the-road
Edited on 2 October 2017
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