Do you remember watching public service announcements on TV when you were a kid? I didn’t, but an acquaintance of mine reminded me of them. I’m dating myself here, but I remember the sugary cereal glee of childhood and racing to the TV to consume Saturday morning cartoons. In between Superfriends and Saturday Supercade, there were cartoons about planning before you build your treehouse and being safe around chemicals.
These cartoons’ safety messages made an impression on the two of us. This acquaintance of mine, who’s about the same age as me, said he couldn’t remember many other campaigns about injury prevention besides a school course about riding bicycles.
I wondered what safety lessons he remembers? He told me that his family was, and continues to be, a major influence on keeping him injury free.
“I was enrolled in an advanced driving safety course. This was due to my Mom’s discretion, mostly to make me safe. It gave me more awareness about driving. It’s probably saved my life on a number of occasions. And it’s led me to take another safety course now that I own a motorcycle.”
Then I asked what influence his friends have, or don’t, on his safety. He pondered this question, then piped up.
“Most of my friends are more safety conscious than me. I have the tendency to be kind of a daredevil sometimes. Not having a helmet when I’m riding a bike goes along with this. Wearing a helmet would be smarter. At the same time, it’s also a cultural thing. When I was in Europe, I noticed fewer people wearing bike helmets compared to here. The [European] drivers have been taught how to drive around vehicles. It’s definitely more dangerous to ride a bike in North America.”
It was interesting to hear that although he knew he should be more safety conscious, he wasn’t prepared yet to wear a helmet or change some of his “daredevil” habits.
My acquaintance’s attitudes towards injuries got me thinking about how people learn to be safe and if that translated to them acting in a way that helps them avoid needless harm. Public service announcements did influence him, but so did his family, and perhaps to a lesser degree, his friends.
How about you? How did you learn about safety?
1 Comment
Liv says:
Safety can be a cultural or even generational thing. When I was growing up, I don't remember my parents being so adamant about safety issues such as wearing a bike while cycling as they are now with their grandkids. Attitudes have started to change, but it'll take time.