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FROM THE ANNALS OF 'GIVE ME A BREAK':



NY MAY BAN 'KILLER iPODS' OVER TRAFFIC DEATHS



Getting an earful: iPods face street ban.



THE modern condition of "iPod oblivion", which reduces people with little white headphones stuffed into their ears to a zombie-like state, could become an offence in New York.

Alarmed by a spate of deaths in the city caused by iPod wearers inadvertently stepping into oncoming traffic, a New York senator is introducing legislation this week that would make it an offence, punishable by a $100 fine, to use any electronic device while crossing a street.

Carl Kruger, a senator for Brooklyn, wants the ban proposed in his "distracted walking" bill to be extended to mobile phones, handheld emailing devices such as BlackBerries and video games.

So far, the legislation is only proposed for larger cities in the state, including New York City.

The offence, which would apply to walking, jogging and cycling, would involve a criminal court summons. Mr Kruger said he knew of three iPod-related traffic deaths in Manhattan and Brooklyn since September last.

A 21-year-old man was hit by a bus in Brooklyn and a 20-year-old woman was killed crossing Fifth Avenue in Manhattan while wearing iPod headphones. In one case, bystanders screamed "watch out" but the iPod wearer did not hear.

Mr Kruger said: "We have a major public safety crisis. 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."

While the proposal might seem too dictatorial to become law, New York has an aggressive track record in outlawing health hazards.

Smoking indoors and food outlets selling trans-fatty acids are already banned in the city. And in 2001, New York became the first state to adopt a ban on use of handheld phones while driving.

But E Christopher Murray, a civil liberties lawyer, said the proposal was excessive.

"With our schools failing, health costs out of control, and crushing property taxes, the legislature would rather play mother by legislating how we cross the street," he said. "What's next? Do you get fined if you don't look both ways?" ( Daily Telegraph, London)



-- Tom Leonard






I find myself walking across the street, only to realize I hadn't looked for cars, but I never walk around listening to music because I just prefer not to. I watched a guy -- without an iPod-- walking with his girlfriend the other day, completely oblivious to the fact that he was an inch away from being hit by an oncoming car. I screamed, "Hey!" and his girlfriend yanked him back onto the curb. What about people who wear hoodies? You can't see much in those. New York needs to address issues like drivers who run red lights as if it were a sport, or drivers who play chicken with pedestrians trying to cross the street. You can't legislate common sense, and sometimes people just make a mistake and leap without looking. I hope they don't pass this nonsense because it would just be a publicity ploy, not an effective measure to save pedestrians' lives.



Is it safe to walk in your town? Is it safe to ride a bike? Everyone I know in New York City who likes to ride a bike has been hit by a car, or run into a car, at least once. Even my husband got run into by a car, and now he won't ride his bike around the city anymore. It's scary!