This morning, as I exited the subway, I heard an announcement come over the TTC's public address system. I missed the first part of the announcement, but I was able to decipher the tail-end of the message....
In that inexplicably monotonous voice (used for all announcements at the TTC) the female voice declared, "...and, since it is National Elevator Escalator Safety Awareness Week, please use extra caution on elevators & escalators."
Huh?
Wait just a second...National Elev..what?
Raise your hand if you were aware that this is National Elevator Escalator Safety Awareness Week.
*tumbleweeds*
I am going to go out on a limb here and assume that very few of us were cognizant of the occasion and, as such, have not been treating elevators and/or escalators with the respect & solemnity they deserve in this, their holiest of weeks.
I think the Escalator Safety Awareness Foundation (yes, it's a real entity, as a quick internet search revealed) needs a new PR guy. They're asking that we, the public, the users of escalating & elevating devices, use them--this week--with extra caution. But how can people fulfill this wish when the EESAW has been so poorly publicized!?!
Additionally, I'm curious as to what using escalators and/or elevators more cautiously would entail?
I may be wrong to assume that the majority of us who regularly utilize escalating & elevating technology do so with at least a modicum of caution. Personally, I've never sustained a single elevator- or escaltor-related injury, in all my years of being elevated & escalated--and I can assure you that I've never paid particular attention to my behaviour whilst riding one. Should I feel lucky to have survived?
So just how treacherous are they? Are escalators & elevators really such a dangerous menace that they need a whole week (every year) AND an ENTIRE FOUNDATION to be dedicated solely to making the public aware of the threat they pose?
Sure, I've seen the occasional "bad seed" attempting to ride the escalator hand-rail or some yahoo trying to push/hold open the doors of an elevator, but those instances are rare. So, other than not pushing people down escalators, what can I, a humble (ha!) commuter/office worker, do to behave EXTRA cautiously during this special week?? 
Hmmm..perhaps I'll stand at the top (or bottom) of an escalator (while throngs of people accumulate behind me) waiting for the moment that feels "safest", to step on...I'll inform people that each of the steps has an aura and I'm waiting for the safest one to present itself. They'll understand. It's "National Elevator Escalator Safety Awareness Week"!
