While reading chapter 13, there were many topics that stood out to me as being important in order to keep ourselves and peers safe in the community. I liked that the chapter covered ways on how to avoid becoming a victim of violence. Learning to use social networking platforms in a safe manner is an important one to follow. It’s important to learn that posting personal information can potentially put you at risk for identity theft and can be a threat to your personal life. The text also warns readers about the consequences of posting negative messages about employers, resulting in individuals being fired because of messages that were posted publicly on Facebook and Twitter. When I was allowed to make a Facebook, my parents cautioned me that once something is posted on social media is permanently out there for others to view, share and keep for themselves. They also made it clear not to talk to strangers online because of the risk of putting myself in danger. I think it is important not only for younger audiences on social media to be careful, but for anyone who chooses to use social networking platforms because any of the negative consequences can happen to anyone, regardless of age.
(Donatelle, 2019, p. 320)
Another important topic I learned while reading this chapter was the campus and community response to violence. Preventing and initiating early response efforts to campus safety is an important aspect while living on a college campus. It was interesting to learn that many campuses are reviewing their effectiveness of emergency messages. I was able to see similarities from the text about the campus environment and our campus here at Bridgewater State University. On our campus, we have blue lights located all around campus that have an emergency button to notify the police that there is danger in that area if someone were to push the button, street lights when it gets dark, and 24/7 security in first year dorms. There is also security in other residents halls from 5pm-2am. Having these resources on campus makes me feel safe while living on campus. With the street lamps on at night, I am able to walk back to my dorm after a late night shift. Even though our campus is safe, I am still always aware of my surroundings, in such ways that I am not glued to my phone when I am walking late at night and when I am listening to music, I am still able to hear what’s going on around me.
(Donatelle, 2019, p. 322)
The last topic that I found interesting to read about and the most important was what distracted driving entails. There are four types of distracted driving that include hearing something not related to driving, looking at something other than the road, doing something other than having your hands on the steering wheel, and thinking about something else other than driving. It was interesting to learn that 76 percent of distracted driving resulted in rear-end crashes, that roughly 550,000 passenger vehicles are driven by individuals using cell phones to text and that distracted driving triples an individual’s risk of getting into a crash. Currently, only 46 states out of 50 have banned texting while driving, while 14 states have banned all handheld cell phone use at anytime while driving. Whenever I’m in the car with my mom on the highway, it makes me angry, but also worried that drivers who are texting are putting their life and others in danger by using the phone or texting going 60 MPH.
(Donatelle, 2019, p. 324)
Health Aspect
This past week I wasn’t able to make it to the gym, however, while I was home for Thanksgiving break, I went on the elliptical as a way to get in my cardio. I choose a twenty minute program that already installed on the elliptical, and it makes me overall feel better because I am getting myself moving, rather than just sitting around in my house. This Thanksgiving, my family decided to go out to Legal Seafood, and it was very busy in the restaurant. I ordered a salmon bowl and a cup of lobster bisque. I guess many other families had the same idea and did not want to make a mess in their kitchen and have the convenience of someone else cooking their dinner. Going out was something different, but I think next year we will do Thanksgiving at my house again.
Health Aspect 