February 7, 2007
Walk, But Don't Use Your iPod, Cell, or Blackberry
State Senator Carl Kruger of Brooklyn may become Enemy 1 for the gadget generation. Kruger is proposing a ban on talking on your cellphone, using your Blackberry, or listening to your iPod while crossing the street. Oh, yes. There have been two pedestrians deaths in his district (a 23 year old was killed by a car while listening to his iPod at Avenue T and East 71st Street in Bergen Beach), so banning devices that seemingly distract pedestrians in NYC - and Buffalo (!) - seems to be the answer. Kruger said:
"While people are tuning into their iPods and cell phones, they're tuning out the world around them... If you want to listen to your iPod, sit down and listen to it. You want to walk in the park, enjoy it. You want to jog around a jogging path, all the more power to you, but you should not be crossing streets and endangering yourself and the lives of others."People are definitely distracted when they are plugged into their iPods or messaging on their cells, but what about the drivers who are just as distracted? Maybe they shouldn't be listening to the radio or music. How about we ban parents from pushing their kids in strollers? Couples walking together (they might get into fights)? Tourists who take pictures as they walk? Dog walkers? The law has infinite possibilities!
Kruger proposes a $100 fine, similar to jaywalking - and we know how much police focus on jaywalking! That said, we hope that people who use their pieces of electronica while walking also remain aware of their environment.
Photograph of pedestrians by S.D. on Flickr
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Thinning the herd, baby! Taxis are the new lions of the Serengeti.
I'm so happy I have the state to protect me. I don't know what I'd do without them.
If we were really interested in stopping vehicular deaths in the city, we would ban all cars and trucks in the city except for commercial vehicles. That would be the only truly sensible solution, and the solution most likely to succeed in drastically reducing that kind of death in the city.
But I'm not recommending that.
Two deaths in his district - out of how many people that engage in those activities daily?
The fact of the matter is that we, Americans, have a tendency to be extremely poor at risk assessment. If we ran around banning everything people did that had a very small chance of injuring or killing us, we'd be left with very few things that weren't illegal.
Considering that this ban just won't happen, it sure is getting a lot of play on the Internets this morning.
It's a good thing most politicians are mentally well-adjusted and have a real good grasp on personal responsibility/accountability.
It's called common sense.
I think this bill will be Dead On Arrival.
While I think people need to be careful crossing the street, you can't legislate common sense.
When in doubt, make a law.
Regardless of political thinking or ideology, that is the universal response of all officials.
We're hopelessly screwed as long as this mode persists.
You're right, this ban will never pass. However, proposing it should be enough for Mr. Kruger's constituents to vote him out of office at the next election. What will he think of next? Testing people for clumsiness and requiring licenses that show your ability to go up and down the stairs at the subway? That can be really dangerous, you know? I have no statistics but I'm willing to bet that there have been at least TWO people who have died in subway-staircase-related accidents!
Falling asleep while smoking occasionally causes house fires which can result in death.
By his logic, he should propose fines for smoking at home.
Or sleeping.
Yeah, there is no way this will pass.
However, it should still be enough for Mr. Kruger's constituents to vote him out of office.
What will he think of next? Testing people for clumsiness and requiring anyone wishing to use to stairs at the subway to get a license proving their ability to go up and down the stairs without falling? I mean, we all know that's a very dangerous activity. I don't have any statistics, but I am willing to bet that at least TWO people have died or been seriously injured in subway-staircase-related accidents!
Has State Sen. Kruger (or the idiot staffer of his that thought up this scheme) never heard of a doing a public awareness campaign? Instead of trying to solve this so-called problem legislatively, why not put up some posters and do a few radio and TV PSAs reminding folks to stay alert/remain aware while using such devices, especially while crossing busy streets.
That law would be WAY too much government. But I really do almost hit people on cell phones while I'm driving all the time. And I'm one of the more cautious drivers out there.
Still, maybe would actually could get a bill passed preventing tourists from taking pictures while in the middle of the sidewalk in Times Square.
I'm not surprised gothamist readers are up in arms about this.
I think the next time a pedestrian gets killed while crossing the street during red light and listening to an iPOD, the driver can sue the dead pedestrian's estate for damage.
I'm all for telling people what to do, but I think it's best done not by legislation, but by fixing the offending person with an icy glare and yelling "Pay attention, dumbass!" I mean, you just can't politely say "Excuse me" or "Watch out for that car!" to someone who has The Streaks blaring directly into their brains.
the way his quote is structured, it almost makes it seem like we just shouldn't be crossing streets at all, ever! envision a city 20 years from now with no danger! pedestrian bridges everywhere! it's a bright future, isn't it? oh, well, I guess not with all these bridges blotting out the sun ...
i wish i could drown the government in a bathtub.
we pay salaries for people like this?!
If a person listening to their iPod or talking on their cellphone crossses the street against the light, isn't the driver pretty much absolved of all wrong doing provided they weren't driving recklessly? And if a driver hits a pedenstrian in a crosswalk who has the right of way isn't the driver almost always in the wrong?
Ode to Mr. Kruger:
Oh what a joy to be
a legislator
and think of all the meaningless bills and laws to propose,
while whittling away the day
getting paid by our tax dollars.
I saw State Senator Carl Kruger on TV last night and he seemed like he just wanted attention and some TV time than anything actually serious. These kinds of laws are useless and when added to the thousands of other useless laws on the books. We should be eliminating laws instead of adding to them. It is people like State Senator Carl Kruger who are the problem with Washington, Albany, Trenton, and every other state capital. God forbid they do something productive!
He is also another reason we need strict term limits - one term per level of government and then you have to get a real job. That would get us back to the founding father's intent and get rid of morons like this.
As for using electronic devices while crossing the street - it is pure survival of the fittest!
There was a politician a few years ago, whose district was within the city, who proposed banning eating and listening to music while driving, because they both distract drivers and cause more accidents.
Why wouldn't it surprise me if that was Carl Kruger?
I have an idea:
how about a permit to listen to your ipod, talk on your phone or send blackberry emails. this will solve the problem. the permit can be $5000 dollars a year and must be carried at all times. this will generate revenue for nyc and infuriate every new yorker.
The fine for not having a permit? Automatic draft into World War Three. This way we can get that estimated 2-3 million people needed in Iraq and Iran to destroy everything we have built for ourselves the last 300 years or so, democracy.
Go Kruger (f*cking idiot!)
Lots more people die in car accidents in the city than do listening to ipods or talking on the phone.
Shouldn't he be outlawing cars instead?
this clown's district is in the ass end of the ass end of brooklyn. do people out there even have ipods? i bet the meat-head yokel who got squished was listening to a cassette walkman
Why don't we get Apple and all the cell phone companies to pay to build safer walkways since the city obviously has no plans to do so. That way people can still be able to listen to The Arcade Fire with their iPod totally DIMED.
why not?, we just let the city tell us what we can and can not eat (transfats)
This man has surely lost his mind, it’s time for him to retire on a BIG FAT pension.
absurd thought -
God of the Universe says
retire senile senators
.
This man has surely lost his mind, it’s time for him to retire on a BIG FAT pension.
absurd thought -
God of the Universe says
retire senile senators
.
While the bill seems supremely silly on first glance, it really isn't that different from existing laws that prohibit drivers and cyclists from texting and wearing headphones. If you get yourself hit and/or killed crossing the street while immersed in tunes, you're not the only one affected. The driver probably won't feel good about it, even though it's not his fault. There'll be damage to the car. Traffic, police and EMS will be tied up. You could cause the car to careen across and hit others.
Honestly, people just suck all over. There was an old episode of "48 Hours" about 15 years ago, before they became the "murder of the week" newsmagazine. It was called Driven to Extremes and covered driving in NYC. In one segment, the camera crew was inside an ambulance on its way to an incident. Lights and siren going, and this woman just blithely walks a few feet in front of the ambulance as if she had not a single worry and all the time in the world. No iPod needed to demonstrate that kind of stupidity.
Is he going to fine people with hearing aids that look like earbuds or bluetooth receivers? Is he gonna fine people wearing earmuffs?
(BTW, I often walk around with my headphones on, but not piping in music in winter, because I forgot my earmuffs, and I just wanna keep my ears warm. I always look both ways and when I do listen to music, usually I keep it low enough to hear other people talking.)
What about people trying to get directions on cell phones while they walk?
If the justification is that people listening to iPods can't hear at all, what does he propose to do to ensure the safety of all deaf New Yorkers?
He's kind of missing the whole point of iPods. We live in a city where we are stacked cheek by jowl and iPods are a chance to walk through the incessant roar of the crowd without it driving us all absolutely crazy. I won't walk out the door without my iPod on. It saves me from having to listen to all the idiots who spew their brainless nonsense to each other on the street.
He needs to concentrate on stopping some real crime, creating more jobs, maybe cleaning up the tons of trash all over the street..or possibly rid us of all the graffitti on every inch of Brooklyn instead of wasting time harassing citizens. How do people like this get elected?
I like the concept, The problem is how the hell do you enforce it ? This (Sadly)is something that the general public should police itself on and not have some pol. drafting some stupid law stating that you can't walk,text,talk,& listen to music @ the same time while out in the street . My thinking is that the city should adopt a policy (And Enforce it)that states . 'Should any person be involved in any type of motorvehicle/pedestrain. accident where as the cause by way being direct,or indirectly consequence bodily harm by way of causing factor(S)of any sort. Said occurrence shall be without legal sorting where as deemed by and the conclusion of police investigation) . Basically it states that if you dumb-asses walk in front of a truck on a city street against the light . You can't sue the city/company for damages ! You Ass clowns are on your own with the medical bills and all .
Perhaps people in Kruger's ridiculous district need remedial lessons on how to cross the street. As a prerequisite to using an electronic device in public, say. Wait for the light to turn green, look *both* ways, step off the curb once it's safe to do so , ...
Noway "B" you should know people aren't that smart ! Nor are they aware of there surroundings . They all need "Remedial" Educating