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I live in a college town. It used to be that kids on campus would walk around talking on their cell phones, now they try to walk and text at the same time. Doesn’t work to well.
The guy probably just got layed off and is clearing out his office.
Better ban that too, or at least require a license! Think of the children!
I almost hit an idiot on a bicycle yapping on his cell phone. He swerved 3′ into my lane but never missed a beat with his “important” call.
they’re far less dangerous when they’re walking (said ObviousMan)
All they do is slow you down. Hardly worth the points.
Funny you should mention that – saw a guy walking, while listen to his iPod, while reading a book.*
* This is in Cambridge, MA.
here’s something to think about – when cars become more automated and have the ability to take control of a car to prevent an accident – what do you think the car will do when someone is walking in the road while traffic is moving – say there is a car behind you – you get rear ended – and run over the person – or it stops to let the person by only to get hit by another car – your guess is as good as mine –
When someone’s walking, at most they’re only in control of a 400lb body. Anyone over 400lbs seems to use one of those little scooters.
But generally they’re only in control of a 100-200lb body instead of a 2,500 to 4,000 lb car / suv.
When I’m on my bicycle, I stay off the sidewalks and the sidewalk-level bike-paths because of distracted pedestrians walking in the bike paths. It’s much easier to mix it up with the cars than it is to dodge oblivious pedestrians.
They don’t notice the “on your left”s and “lookouts”. At least the distracted drivers are sort-of looking forward…
A new set of street-level bike paths were supposed to be installed over the summer. A problem with a city sewer held up the project, though, and some other improvements are being made to the street first. I can’t wait! So many drivers have never been on motorcycles or bicycles that a few extra lines will help them figure out what I’m up to….
I live in a college town. It used to be that kids on campus would walk around talking on their cell phones, now they try to walk and text at the same time. Doesn’t work to well.
When I used to work in downtown Toronto, I had the pleasure of, twice, walking into bicycle lockup posts and once into a column inside a building.
Yes, I was using a Blackberry at the time. No, I’m far from the only person seen doing this.
Funny you should mention that – saw a guy walking, while listen to his iPod, while reading a book.
I still do that.
Seriously, when walking and surrounded by people in 3000-5000 pound vehicles going 50-60 mph, or even 25-35 mph, you should be aware of your surrounds and be attentive.
This fellow who lived in a rural area near myself was about 20ish, apparently never had learned how to drive, and would walk to work (apparently as a cook in a restaurant in a village) – reading a book. Now, I can appreciate reading.
But one day, he was walking and a very large county snow plow came along and – boom, he was with the angels. The driver hadn’t seen him in the snow storm, but realized he’d hit “something” and was obviously quite traumatized himself by what he found in the snowbank.
Wasn’t it just two days ago a woman was clobbered by a train in Pennsylvania or out east somewhere, by meandering across the track while babbling on her cell phone? She obviously died, too.
If you want to kill yourself by being distracted, that’s your business. But if you want to kill yourself and me together, that’s another thing entirely.
It would be very difficult for a pedestrian to cause serious physical harm to anybody by walking distractedly (although the psychological harm to the person who hit him might scar for life). Give him an SUV (or even a Mini Cooper) and the equation changes considerably.
I think I have had more close encounters with bicycles in the last 4-5 years as a pedestrian, motorcyclist, and driver, than cars in my total 18 years of driving.
I would say the ratio of bicyclists paying attention:distracted* is about 1:5.
* For the sake of argument we’ll call distracted = using a cellphone or music player. Any other distractions don’t count.
Why walk when you can drive…
…an S-class?
What about all the cell phone commercials on TV that promote this exact behavior. People not paying attention to anything but their phone/ipod. Dumbasses.
Distracted walking wouldn’t just be about getting yourself killed. If someone saw a deer in the road they’d either hit it, swerve to miss or safely not hit it. Sometimes you get away with swerving, other times it could kill you and other motorists. Walking distracted isn’t only risky to that person but could be just as potentially dangerous as driving distracted.
Well, I’m not so sure a distrated pedestrian may not be able to inflict some damage to a driver. God knows at least a few drivers/passengers have been killed in collisions with deer coming through the windshield, and I’d bet there are more than a few people who weigh as much as a doe or buck.
Of course, speed would play a role – I’d bet most of the serious deer collisions were on higher-speed roads wih perhaps fewer potential pedestrian targets.
And obviously, race tracks are a whole ‘nother kettle of fish
Why walk when you can drive…
…an S-class?
That meme is old and busted. Never mention it again.
I never cease to be surprised just how few pedestrians heed traffic signals.
This has just been thru news here in Australia.
‘POLICE are warning tech-savvy school students to unplug, log off and look out, amid a surge in pedestrian deaths in Victoria.’
More: http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,27574,26166073-15306,00.html
We seem to lose one person per year around here around the college campuses.
I remember first getting to campus as a kid and surprised how confident so many people felt just crossing the street anywhere at any time even though there were crosswalks every 100′.