The new menace

We are all aware that driving in our streets requires a unique set of skills. From having to anticipate the moves of a reckless scooter or moped driver who weaves in and out of lanes, to public utility vehicle drivers who stop dead in their tracks in the middle of the road to pick-up or drop off a passenger, being a licensed driver who has never been involved in a major traffic incident in the Philippines means you've acquired a sixth and seventh driving sense. But there's a new threat that is making our roads even more dangerous to travel. These are the petextrians.

Petextrians? Yes, petextrians. Ever since roads were built, the concept of people crossing the road was also created. As this concept evolved, people started putting rules in place. People were taught to look left, look right, then look left again before crossing the street. Everything was fine and dandy until some countries adopted the concept of driving on the other side of the road. People used to the left, right, left concept got run over more frequently when they visited these countries. Thus, the transport ministries were forced to re-evaluate everything and decided to install designated crosswalks.

As the volume of vehicles using the roads increased, the transport ministries saw that stopping vehicles to allow a few pedestrians to cross the streets caused unnecessary traffic. Thus, came the elevated walkways. Everything became good. That is, until people started to become defiant and lazy. Instead of thinking about their safety and crossing only in designated crosswalks, people decided that, as long as they were agile enough to evade motor vehicles, they could cross anywhere they wanted at any time to get to their destinations sooner. This way of thinking has grown and our roads have gotten more difficult to negotiate. And then came technology.

At this day and age, it is rare to see someone without an electronic gadget that would allow them to communicate, surf the web, and listen to music. Don't get me wrong, these gadgets are good and useful when used at the right place and at the right time. Unfortunately, people have become so dependent and reliant on these gadgets that they hardly take their attention away from them. From reading text messages, making calls, to updating their social media pages, to listening to music and whatnot, people have become so engrossed in these little gadgets that they do it care where they are when they're engaged with the gadgets.

Many times, we see people crossing busy streets with these gadgets in their hands and their attention anywhere but on the task of crossing the street. And to make matters worse, some of them have earphones or headphones plugged into these gadgets, further taking away their ability to hear to warnings. It is bad enough that these people cross anywhere and make life difficult for us motorists. It is worse when they don't pay full attention to the task of safely crossing the street because their attention is on the electronic gadget that couldn't even save their life in the event of a traffic collision. Oh, and don't even get me started on grownups who cross the street with kids in tow. Many of them don't even hold the little kids' hands because their hands are busy with a mobile phone on one hand, and an electronic tablet in another. And this culture is getting out of hand.

As motorists, we are most susceptible to their total lack of regard for their safety. I would recommend that, aside from further sharpening our driving acuity, we should re-educate our loved ones on the art of safely crossing the streets. Remind them that messages and messaging can wait, communication is best achieved when the attention is undivided, and, for the love of Pete, cross only in designated crosswalks.