I've been wondering when the safety patrols would finally get on a roll about people using cell phones and MP3 players while on the street. It's something that pops into my mind just about everyday when I politely weave through downtown crowds on the way to the bus stop and suffer being pushed around by people that are paying more attention to their entertainment - the person on the other end of the phone telling them about a wild night of partying or that awesome new track - than they are to the people around them on the street.
A state senator from Brooklyn has announced he plans to introduce legislation that would ban people from using an MP3 player, cell phone, Blackberries or any other electronic device while crossing the streets in New York City and Buffalo. Sadly, the move is in response to two recent pedestrian deaths in that district, including a 23-year-old man who was struck and killed last month while listening to his iPod on the street. For more on this story, read more
Sen. Carl Kruger told a local news source:
"While people are tuning into their iPods and cell phones, they're tuning out the world around them."
The proposed law would make talking on cell phones while crossing the street a comparable offense to jaywalking.
Alexander McQueen
Tomas Maier
Jimmy Choo
It's pretty scary how completely oblivious people are to their surroundings when on the cell or using their iPods. I've seen more than one person walk right into the street without looking up once - against the light in Manhattan! It's really frightening.
1IMHO, the real problem lies in society's increasing lack of manners and consideration, and no sense of personal responsibility. I am continuously plugged into my iPod, but I am always looking where I am going, and paying attention to what's going on around me - it's a matter of both courtesy *and* safety.
Besides, the ban is completely unenforceable. Will they station cops at every crosswalk to catch offenders who don't hang up or unplug? Maybe it's time we all revisit our Kindergarten lessons, and treat people around us with respect, and look both ways before crossing the street...
2Touche.
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