NY Senator Wants iPods Out of Crosswalks

New York pedestrians could find themselves on the wrong side of the law just for crossing the street while chatting on a cell phone or listening to an iPod if state Senator Carl Kruger gets his way. The New York lawmaker plans to introduce legislation to make it illegal to use portable electronic devices such as a BlackBerry or PlayStation Portable game console while crossing the street.

The legislation comes after the deaths of two pedestrians in Sen. Kruger's Brooklyn district within the past five months. "iPod oblivion," the lawmaker said, has become a term used nationwide to describe the state of compromised awareness that is a result of the huge popularity of electronic devices among users of all ages.

"You can't be fully aware of your surrounding if you're fiddling with a BlackBerry, dialing a phone number, playing Super Mario Brothers on a Game Boy or listening to music on an iPod," Sen. Kruger claimed.

Electronic Stupor

Two men have been killed in Brooklyn as a result of so-called "iPod oblivion." The first walked into the path of an oncoming bus after stepping off the curb at a busy intersection on Sept. 1, 2006. He was killed instantly. The second, a 23-year-old man, was struck and killed while listening to his iPod in the Bergen Beach area of Brooklyn.

Police officials in cities around the country have cautioned citizens against using electronic devices in public, according to Sen. Kruger. The devices not only distract people from vehicles, but also can attract big-city hazards such as pickpockets, muggers and purse-snatchers.

"This is an avoidable tragedy," Sen. Kruger added. "If you're so involved in your electronic device that you can't see or hear a car coming, this is indicative of a larger problem that requires some sort of enforcement beyond the application of common sense."

No iPod for You

The senator's bill would impose a US$100 fine and a trip to criminal court for anyone caught crossing the street while using an electronic device. Bicyclists and joggers who groove to their tunes while on the go will have to confine their activities to a local park, he said.

The legislation is intended to help make people more aware of their general surroundings while using an electronic device as well as the possible perils to which they can be exposed to as a result of the "deceptive serenity" such devices create, Sen. Kruger explained.

"Tuning in and tuning out can be a fatal combination on the streets of New York," he concluded.

Good intentions aside, the legislation has several potential pitfalls and does not address the issue of distracted drivers. Although New York does have a law against driving while using a cell phone, the prohibition only prohibits using a handset. Drivers can chat as much as they want using a headset or other hands-free device. It does not tackle other forms of distraction

Tough to Enforce

"Drivers are equally distracted listening to music or having conversations in the car," Mukul Krishna, an analyst at Frost and Sullivan, told MacNewsWorld.

New York, Krishna explained, is known for taking criticism for some of its laws. If it passes, the law will be difficult for the police to enforce, he added.

"It is impossible to police [an iPod ban] in a city like New York," he declared. "It will create more friction with the authorities because most people who will be caught doing this will arguably be students or younger people who are traditionally anti-establishment."