Thursday 14/08/14
Situational awareness is simply being aware of your surroundings. Taking a quick look around the room to know where the exits are in case of an emergency. Also; being aware of what sort of people are in the room with you. Your gut instinct will usually let you know if you should keep an eye on anyone in particular.
This also extends to the outside world. If you can passively observe your immediate environment, you are less likely to be surprised by something nasty. That's not to say that unpleasant things won't happen to you, but at least you'll have a little warning before they do.
Every day I see people walking around town, staring at the screen of their mobile phone and texting, instead of paying attention to what's happening around them. To compound the problem, they're also listening to loud music through their headphones. They are effectively blind and deaf to their surroundings. Then, to compound the problem, some of them wear a hooded jumper, completely blocking their peripheral vision. This combination tells a potential predator that you are easy pickings.
If this sounds like you, the first you'll know about a predator's presence is while they're attacking you. But it's far more likely that they'll attack you from behind with a blitz attack (a whirlwind of kicks and punches), and knock you unconscious before you are even aware that there is a problem. Predators aren't looking for a fight; they want an easy target. What could be easier than a victim who is completely unaware that they have just been selected, and who is unable to fight back?
Even if you aren't concerned about becoming a victim of crime; if your attention is focused on your phone, how will you avoid the aggressive dog that's running at you, if you haven't seen it? What chance do you have of avoiding that broken section of footpath, before you step on it and twist your ankle? How can you check for traffic before you step onto the road if 99% of your attention is focused on that little glowing screen in the palm of your hand? I have seen several close-calls recently where pedestrians have stepped out in front of traffic without even looking to see if the road was clear.
Our neighbourhoods aren't as safe as they used to be, and our roads are busier than ever. We need to give ourselves every advantage possible. The biggest advantage we can give ourselves is to be aware of our immediate environment.