I happened on this story today about a 38-year old father who was struck and killed from behind by a small plane making an emergency landing. As a fellow jogger and a father I found the story saddening and I wish his family the best as they cope with the terrible loss.
What made this tragedy sobering is the fact that it didn't have to end this way for him. You see, the jogger was listening to his iPod and obviously didn't hear the approaching plane scraping the ground behind him. There's a good chance that he would have otherwise gotten out of the way and he'd be alive today.
The story is by no means unique. A couple of years ago a local race I participate in banned the use of earbuds and headphones because in a prior race a runner had collapsed and the paramedics had had a hard time reaching him weaving around the inattentive runners listening to their iPods.
Personally I don't like to run with music blaring in my ears. It's not for the sake of safety although that's a fortunate side-effect. I had tried running while listening to music a couple of times and hadn't enjoyed the experience. I'm much happier taking in the sights and sounds of my surrounding areas, including everything that happens around me while I jog.
I can understand that for some people music is a mandatory part of their exercise. In that case don't let the death of the jogger mentioned above be in vain. Make a compromise and lower the volume enough so your ears can at least pick up loud sounds such as a horn, a siren, or a crash happening just behind you. It could save your life or the life of someone in desperate need of immediate attention.
Give a few Sats
Ears are part of our navigational system. They are also very helpful to alert us to danger when someone is coming at us from behind. I grew up skiing and I remember the introduction of the walkman. I also remember that Phil and Steve Mahre's brother was killed by a snow cat that he steered into when he was using one.
Comment by Denis — April 15, 2010 @10:23 am