Tech Doesn't Kill, Bad Habits Do

While those gadgets are attached to your hip—sometimes quite literally—they don't always have to be attached to your ear. It's important to exercise common sense while your plugged into your personal technology. Day after day we hear stories of people losing their lives in accidents that could've been prevented.

A recent study tells us that drivers talking on cell phones are more likely to crash compared to drunk drivers; "When drivers were conversing on either a handheld or hands-free cell phone, their braking reactions were delayed and they were involved in more traffic accidents than when they were not conversing on a cell phone. By contrast, when drivers were intoxicated from ethanol they exhibited a more aggressive driving style, following closer to the vehicle immediately in front of them and applying more force while braking."

And don't think using a hands-free headset will help either. An Australian study found that hands-free devices are just as bad as holding the phone to your ear. But we already knew that talking on the phone while driving was dangerous. So don't do it.

Last week we heard the story of Jason Bunch, a Colorado teen who was struck by lightning while listening to his iPod. Bunch was mowing the lawn one minute, and suffering from severe burns to his face the next. While nobody really knows if the iPod or the lawnmower attracted lighting, he did suffer burns on his face from lightning that followed the wires of the earbuds into his ear and damaged his hearing in one ear.

It's most unfortunate, and common these days to hear stories of joggers or cyclists getting hit by cars because they were listening to music players, and not paying attention to traffic noise. A cyclist in Australia was knocked off her bike and killed by a truck, and her friends blamed the iPod because she couldn't hear traffic noise. The accident was so disturbing, that police officials issued a warning to cyclists about listening to music while riding "unless they had a death wish."

Anyone can agree that working out without music is torture, so when you do listen to your music player, do it where there is no threat to you or those around you. Take it to the gym or when hitting those running trails. Use common sense while you're out on the road, and fight the urge to tempt disaster.