Well, after many comments and the completed survey, the results are as follows. The consensus is that having the mask on your forehead, absent any other indicators, means very little to the majority (65%) of respondents. Now, could these findings be extrapilated to the entire dive community? That may be a stretch. But it does show that there is not a universal thought to it being an emergency situation. I therefore submit that in my opinion it is unwise to assume a diver is in trouble just because of the location of his or her mask. And should not even be taught as such.
I thank you all for your thoughts and attention to the subject. Especially Smitty for the survey.
Safe diving.............................................. Joe P