Section 3: Situations of Uncertainty - What Now? -- Page 9 of 14        Self-Study Guide | OUTLINE | INDEX | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | Section 4 |Section 5 | REVIEW |

All that remains now is to talk about making the decision to cross or not to cross in a given situation -- a decision which depends on whether the risks of crossing are acceptable, of course.

The most common response I get when I ask adults whether the risk of crossing is acceptable is, "What choice do I have? I need to get to the store / my job / the bus." So sometimes, simply knowing that there are other choices can be empowering, and I assure my students that they never have to cross where they feel that the risk is not acceptable.

If they decide that in a given Situation of Uncertainty, it is safe enough to cross (and what does that mean again? It means "its risks are acceptable"!), then we consider what they can do to reduce the risks as much as possible. For example they might try to make themselves and their intention to cross more noticeable, use a cane, and of course cross when they can hear/(see) nothing coming (realizing that there could still be a car coming that would have to slow down for them).

If they decide that the risks of crossing in that situation are not acceptable, they consider alternatives. It is very important that our students not only know about alternatives, but can also find or plan for and use them effectively.