"If you are too careful, you are so occupied in being careful that you sure to stumble over something." By saying this, a wise woman named Gertrude Stein meant that in life, there are all sorts of dangerous feats. Although that is true, it is even more dangerous to attempt to try and avoid every situation that may cause some level of harm. An area of controversy today is if pedestrians should be ticketed or fined for wearing headphones while on public streets. In perspective, anything can happen, so why make everything that is dangerous, illegal? It is not necessary for pedestrians to be ticketed or fined for wearing headphones while on public streets.

Safety is a key role in all situations, but especially when driving. It is common sense that while driving a person needs to be one hundred percent aware of their surroundings. That being said, drivers should always be cautious of the pedestrians on the road. A responsible driver should know that if there is a pedestrian such as a runner, walker, or biker, they should stay aware of that person and make sure they both stay out of harm's way. Regardless to whether or not the pedestrian can hear the oncoming vehicle, the driver of that vehicle has the responsibility of being aware and keeping themselves, along with their surroundings, safe. It is already well known that if a driver fails to follow the laws meant for safety they will most likely be ticketed or fined. The pedestrians cannot control how the citizens using the public roads will drive, therefore if anything were to happen and they were wearing headphones, it technically would not be their fault. To some it seems unfair on both sides, but in reality, the responsibilities are equal.

Being cautious is a task all people on the road need to accomplish. Aside from the rules for drivers, there are already safety precautions enforced for all pedestrians. Paying attention is obviously essential at all times, but some states go the extra mile and enforce certain laws. On the contrary, other places just encourage pedestrians to follow certain precautions. One of these precautions that most runners and walkers already know is what side of the road they should be on. A common mistake, and probably a cause of most accidents, is from pedestrians being on the right side of the road when the left side of the road is the safest. Being on the left side allows the pedestrians to see oncoming traffic while still allowing the other lane to drive past them safely. Another precaution is taking advantage of sidewalks if they are available. If pedestrians are on sidewalks and completely off the public roads, there is no reason for a ticket or fine because the risk of being in an accident would be greatly reduced.

The use of headphones can be dangerous, but not all the time. There is a possibility of pedestrians being able to change the outcome of what may happen if they are using headphones while on public roads. Most runners or walkers know the risks of being out in the paths of cars and know that anything could happen to them. Alongside that fact, they also know that they can have the choice of controlling their volume. If a pedestrian, such as a walker, was listening to their music, they have the power to put their music at a volume that is loud enough for them, but at the same time it is quiet enough so they can hear their surroundings. Therefore, if a pedestrian has a decent volume set and is aware of their surroundings, they should not be fined.

There is one thing that is for certain, and that is that the world is full of uncertainty. Almost anything can happen nowadays. Additionally, it seems as if the worst things happen at the most unpredicted times. There are a few cases of insane accidents happening due to a pedestrian wearing headphones and not being able to hear their surroundings and prevent the accident. One of these crazy accidents includes a man being crushed to death under a plane attempting to make an emergency landing. It is true that this accident occurred because the man could not hear the plane, but this is an example of a freak accident. There is a one in a million chance of an occurrence like this happening more than once. It is not necessarily the pedestrian's fault because of their use of headphones; it more of a bad timing incident and that strange moment of uncertainty that this world promises.

Ticketing and fining headphone-wearing pedestrians while they are on public roads is completely unnecessary. If both drivers and pedestrians follow the safety precautions already enforced for everyone's safety, and if pedestrians have their music at a reasonable volume, there should not be very many accidents. If everything that was possibly dangerous was illegal, what would be left in the world?