Have you ever noticed when a UConn shuttle bus makes a turn, the bus loudspeakers announce: “The bus is turning”?  Did you ever wonder:  Why is this bus making this announcement? Isn’t it obvious that the bus is turning?  Yes, it is obvious if you are paying attention to your surroundings.

However, it is not so apparent if you are not mindful of your surroundings.  It seems that many are preoccupied with a cell phone conversation or a computer game or listening to music while strolling around the campus. Have you ever noticed that many students seem oblivious to their surroundings?

Technology has made it easier than ever to reduce attention spans into smaller and smaller bits of time. We seem to immediately respond to electrical signals wherever and whenever we want.  We even answer friend’s questions or pay bills while we walk. I don’t know how many times I have seen pedestrians walked into the middle of the road not paying attention to traffic.  These pedestrians seem to be mesmerized.

We seemed to be hyper-connected because of all the technology that surrounds us:  iphones, laptops, ipads and the list goes on and on. The latest technology (still in its infancy stage) will be the use of smart watches and eye glasses that will constantly beam notifications onto the periphery of our vision.  Talk about being connected! Everyone seems to be forever viewing screens.  We seem to have lost the ability to recognize that our attention has been diverted from important matters.

Many of us receive hundreds of email and phone messages daily. Everyone wants to stay in touch at that moment, a near constant connectivity.  Research has shown that multitasking leads to lower overall productivity. In addition, students and workers who constantly and rapidly switch between tasks have less ability to filter our irrelevant information, and they make more mistakes.  It is very obvious that technology has gone beyond what we are capable of handling.

A couple of years ago, a tragic accident occurred involving a university shuttle bus and a student pedestrian.   The accident occurred at night when a student crossed the street.  The shuttle bus stopped at the stop sign, started to make a left turn when the student walked into the bus. The bus driver did not see the student and ran over him.  According to some eyewitnesses, the student was plugged into his music and was looking at his hand held computer.  In addition, the student apparently was wearing a “hoody” which blocked his peripheral vision.  This unfortunate event compelled the university to investigate ways to prevent such occurrences in the future, thus the installment of loud speakers on all UConn shuttle buses. 

Please be mindful of your surroundings, especially when you cross the street, it may save your life.

Bob Chudy