Cell phone safety tips are necessary in order to help keep us safe.  Our cell phones are amazing devices that can help us in many ways.  They help us organize our schedule, keep track of our contacts, take incredible pictures and video, jot down notes, check the weather, trade stocks, play games, check email – the list goes on and on…

For all the good that our smart phones do for us, they can also be our Achilles heel when it comes to safety.

The following information details exactly how our hearing and vision can be compromised, and why this is a safety risk.

1. Your hearing can be compromised if your earbuds are in and the music is playing too loud.

• You may not hear the commotion around the next corner, someone screaming or police sirens nearby

• You may find yourself walking toward something or someone when you should be running away!

• If you can’t hear it, you can’t react and by the time you notice, it may be too late to do anything.

• Don’t become a victim or jeopardizeyour personal safety from something as easy to correct as not playing your music so loudly that you drown out all outside noises.

2. Your vision can be compromised by looking at your bright screen in the dark where it destroys your night vision.

• Turn the brightness on your smartphone down as low as you can stand it so that it has the least effect on your night vision.

• The newest smartphones have a “blue light” filter that helps you see better at night.

• If you have trouble seeing, you may not notice the person or persons who are approaching you until it is too late!

• Not being able to see is obviously something that puts you at a major disadvantage.

• Train yourself to look up frequently whenever you find yourself staring at the phone’s screen for more than few minutes.

• It only takes seconds to look up and survey your surroundings. However, it also only takes seconds for someone to sneak up on you.

• You could walk into another person, an object such as a tree or lamp post, trip on an uneven sidewalk or fail to step up or down a curb.

• Be aware of the time you spend before looking up from your screen—it just may save your life.

Please make sure that you are practicing good cell phone safety so that you stay safe!