NY Could Ban Phone, iPod Use While Crossing Street

Why doesn't that communist politician focus on his job instead of harassing American citizens?

If NY bans Ipods and other devices while crossing the street, wouldn't it be viable to ban listening to music while driving your car?

Whenever I am confronted by this argument that I should not wear headphones while on my bike or in my car is this:

1) People drive with loud music playing in their car all the time.
2) Deaf people get along in he world without hearing just fine.

The fact that some people tune-in too deeply while listening to music and then make the error of not looking before they cross the street is their own fault.

Granted, I have almost once been hit while crossing the street while listening to an audio book. The driver was a kid in a convertible who crested the hill where I was crossing. He must have easily been doing quadruple the speed limit. Perhaps if I could have heard the engine I might have known but who can say?

He definitely was at fault, but had I become strawberry jam across his hood, would blame be shifted to my MP3 player? In this world... most likely.

- nf

I am in agreement with the previous 2 post (not the very first). I am not sure what listening has to do with crossing the street. I thought looking both ways was the key to not getting hit. And then getting across as quickly as possible. Are they wanting the pedestrians to hear the people blow their horns... if this is the case, the horn blower obviously sees the pedestrian and should simply wait.

Why don't they pass a law stating that pedestrians must look both ways before crossing? Or pass a law that states that drivers should not hit pedestrians?

I doubt that this law will pass and if it does it will get challenged the first time someone is sited for violating it.

The law that should be proposed is two part: a) "release of liability" for any driver who hits the distracted pedestrian and b) waiver for any hospital E.R. to provide free care for the uninsured ipod-puddle. Same think should apply to the motorcycle helmet laws. No helmet, no problem, no free care, no lawsuit. It all goes together in one neat package.