This study evaluated variables that determined the safety of 15 cane users who were using the touch technique. The results showed that none of the walkers used a touch technique as described and recommended in the literature, that the detection of obstacles was related mainly to the height of the cane tip during the sweep, and that the early detection of drop-offs was related primarily to the length of the cane. [Funding for this research was provided by the Sensis Institute for the Visually Impaired and the Foundation for Behavioural and Educational Sciences of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.] (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)