Keep alert to avoid hurting yourself

PHOTOGRAPHER: Letters to the Editor

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As a risk management/safety professional; I have made the following disconcerting observations:

Inattentiveness due to eyes on smart devices will lead to more accidents and injuries.

Observe animals and note how they attend to every nuance. Eyes dart and scan, noses sniff and ears twitch to hear the slightest sound. They know the world is dangerous, and even momentary inattentiveness can lead to disaster (like being eaten).

People are losing that survivalist instinct to keep alert. We are lulled into complacency. I see people walking without focus, assuming hatch marks in a crosswalks will stop 4,000-pound cars. (They won’t.) The assumption of total safety is itself unsafe. Being inattentive and or distracted, especially when driving, walking or working, can be hazardous to your health.

Smart phones are wonderful devices, but a fine line is drawn between being smart and being stupid. If you are not fully alert and aware, you are at serious risk.

James Pavoldi

Duanesburg