You’ve probably read about the importance of listening in relationships. A person who does not listen is less likely to understand the other party. Emotional harm can often result from this.
Listening is just as important when navigating the streets. You might not know or talk to the people you come across, but you are in a co-road-user relationship with them and need to understand each other’s intentions to proceed safely – and listening out for each other is part of that. The problem is, that many people are too engrossed in listening to other things.
Listening to other things can be a distraction on the roads
Here is an example of how listening to something other than those you share the road with can be dangerous to illustrate the point:
A teenager is walking along the street on their way to sports practice. They have their over-ear headphones on and their favorite music playing loudly. They’re in the groove and oblivious to anyone around them. Further up the road, a driver is on their way home from work. They are listening intently to a podcast discussion between two entrepreneurs they admire. Neither the pedestrian nor the driver is sufficiently engaged with their surroundings to be truly alert.
The pedestrian reaches the point where they need to cross the road and they step out. They did not hear the warning horn of an approaching motorcycle. Thankfully the motorcyclist is alert and brakes in time to avoid hitting them. However, the podcast-listening driver just behind the motorcyclist is slow to react to the motorcycle’s horn and brake squeal and the shout of the teenager, because their brain is still focused on the podcast. They swerve around the motorcycle and straight into the teenager.
All road users have a responsibility to listen for signs of other road users. When a collision happens, each party’s attention, or lack of it, could be a factor in determining how compensation will be awarded.