Dumb pedestrians = high mortality rate.

[Peter P.]

Originally Posted by parris

This reply is on the darker side of things in large part due to my career.

What comes to mind for me when I see someone sucked into their phone or to a lesser extent being absorbed by what ever they're playing through their head phones is a potential crime victim.

There doesn't seem to be a way to get through to many on the personal safety issue. The common theme is "it'll never happen to me" or "I never saw who it was why me"?

I truly believe that many people talk on their phones while walking alone because psychologically, it makes them feel they are NOT alone, and therefore less vulnerable. It's a false assumption on their part, but I'll bet that's a factor.

As for the headphones; it could be listening distances themselves from where they actually are, or by engaging in an activity such as listening while walking, they think a perpetrator won't bother them because they won't be able to easily get the victim's attention.

I'm sure there's a whole psychology behind it; it just needs to be studied.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by sfo1

people in this town walk out into traffic w/out cell phones and don't look. Been happening forever. Bordering on "go ahead and hit me so I can sue you" to "if I don't look, clearly there are no cars coming" to "I'm important and need to get to the pub so FU!"

Add cell phones to peds and drivers and I must agree; its natural selection.

I think I did see on the news a week or so ago that the powers that be were considering it a ticketable offense to walk & use cell phone in x-walk. That will be enforced slightly less that sit-lie.

On a slight diversion; I have a friend that is an ER doc in town. She sees a lot of pedestrians that come in after being hit by a car. Not pretty but she does note that the majority of peds fit into one ethnic category so maybe you can chalk part of this is to a cultural thing?

Bloomberg for mayor!

Several U.S. cities have made "distracting walking" a ticketable offense. NYC is apparently contemplating it, but there's push back from advocacy groups who consider it "victim blaming."

https://www.citylab.com/life/2019/05...n-zero/589606/

Hard for me to see that. Seems pretty simple. Give people a fine for waking through an intersection glued to their phones. And levy a huge fine on people who text while driving. Or give them jail time.

Lastly: "Mayor Mike" in SF will happen right around the time the Knicks win another NBA championship...

[martl]

Originally Posted by ERK55

Coming home tonight I drove past a young woman walking her dog, leash in one hand, phone in the other. Never looked up, had no clue as to her surroundings. Combine that that with a texting driver........

Actually, as long as she doesn't cross any roads or so, this behavior is odd, but ok. As poedestrian on a sidewalk it is absolutely ok to not pay attention, to suddenly stop or change direction, etc. Not comparable to a texting driver. At all.

[Dead Man]

everything new, and especially things that are revolutionary, require adjustment. our smart phones are an extension of ourselves; we are cyborgs. that's not going to change, and should it? it's simply part of our evolution. perhaps try not to view everything that deviates from your own ideal as some form of a problem that ought not be, or should be fixed. allow your mind to rise and fall with the tides of human evolution and accept that overall the water is rising. anchoring yourself in your own beliefs will result in you drowning yourself whilst others rise on the surface.

there are no problems. just ride your bike. :-)

[unterhausen]

Originally Posted by martl

Actually, as long as she doesn't cross any roads or so, this behavior is odd, but ok. As poedestrian on a sidewalk it is absolutely ok to not pay attention, to suddenly stop or change direction, etc. Not comparable to a texting driver. At all.

Walk down a crowded sidewalk and you might have a different opinion about this behavior. Usually about the 20th person looking at their phone I have to dodge , I just stop and wait for them to almost run into me. But yeah, it's nothing like a texting driver. There should be the death penalty for that. Some people should have an interlock on their car where the phone has to be in a box before the car will start.

I don't generally see people walking out into the street without looking because of a phone. I almost saw a guy step out in front of a bus because he was having a conversation with someone, luckily his companion grabbed him and stopped him from doing it.

[oldpotatoe]

Some people should have an interlock on their car where the phone has to be in a box before the car will start.

The technology to prevent the driver from using their cell phone has been around for a LONG time but the 'politicians' are in the pocket of the telecommunication industry(called 'bribes') and this isn't going to change anytime soon.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

The technology to prevent the driver from using their cell phone has been around for a LONG time but the 'politicians' are in the pocket of the telecommunication industry(called 'bribes') and this isn't going to change anytime soon.

Can you explain what this technology is? It can't be something as simple looking at the GPS and determining that someone is going faster than some threshold speed - there would be no way to distinguish between a driver and a passenger using a phone, or even someone sitting on a train. And besides, all you'd have to do is turn off the GPS radio to defeat it.

I can't think of a foolproof way to determine if someone is actually driving when they are using their phone. Maybe you know a way?

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by ERK55

Coming home tonight I drove past a young woman walking her dog, leash in one hand, phone in the other. Never looked up, had no clue as to her surroundings. Combine that that with a texting driver........

Maybe it was seeing eye dog? Hey, maybe this can be a new business opportunity for those training service dogs!

[PacNW2Ford]

Originally Posted by unterhausen

Walk down a crowded sidewalk and you might have a different opinion about this behavior. Usually about the 20th person looking at their phone I have to dodge , I just stop and wait for them to almost run into me. But yeah, it's nothing like a texting driver. There should be the death penalty for that. Some people should have an interlock on their car where the phone has to be in a box before the car will start.

I don't generally see people walking out into the street without looking because of a phone. I almost saw a guy step out in front of a bus because he was having a conversation with someone, luckily his companion grabbed him and stopped him from doing it.

Ha, I have seen this exact thing where a guy almost walked in front of a light rail train while talking on his phone. In Portland, we have two current cases where people have walked into trains while on the phone, oblivious to the flashing lights, bells, horns etc. One is suing for millions because there wasn’t enough warning/safety equipment. Right. In another episode, I saw a woman walk in front of a code 3 fire vehicle cupping her hand to her other ear, most likely telling the person “I can’t hear you, there’s a fire engine blaring its siren and horn right next to me for some stupid reason!”