After bikers, it's texters that are the next hazard. I've saved several. And they looked at me with contempt.
Then drivers.
My phone does not come out of my pocket when I am walking or otherwise moving, including driving. What is worth the risk of death or severe injury on your phone?
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Here's an idea: Everyone should be responsible for their own safety. A good way to do that is to be aware of your surroundings. That way, you or your family won't have to blame someone else when your maimed or dead. If you think all cyclist are crazed killers then you should pay attention when you cross the street.
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The texting while walking epidemic is no different from walking while under the influence. It's rude and totally uncivilized. Why is that not something to address? Or has this society really evolved into the lowest level of human behavior? Possible.
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i've taken to screaming "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!" whenever someone's head is buried in their smartphone while headed in the opposite direction, oblivious to the fact that they are headed straight for me. their reaction to my scream is absolutely priceless.
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January 16, 2019. Lyon, France. 15 year old Johanna, looking at her smartphone while crossing the street, was crushed to death by a city bus that she walked into as it rounded a busy intersection. It was a shocking and completely avoidable accident.
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To Jack, who left a chicken cooking in the oven while he went up to relax on the roof. Propping the door open or not, leaving something cooking while you leave the premises is a reckless, stupid thing to do.
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Anybody that thinks it’s ok to walk down a street while texting and not pay attention hasn’t walked into me yet.
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“the focus on distracted walking was misplaced.”
Tune of “Broadway Baby”
I’m just an iPhone Baby
Texting while I cross the street
Don’t expect our eyes to meet.
I’m glued to my pho-one.
iPhone Baby
Ma sent me some brand new apps
She’s sure I’ll have no mishaps
While I use my pho-one
Gee,
It’s good to see
It’s safe for me
To be unaware.
How great
If they’re irate
To block out their hate
As if they’re not there.
Call me, maybe?
Better yet, please send a text
Can’t wait for what I’ll read next.
Seeking a connection
In this busy intersection
On my great - new - tiny - phone!
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While texting while walking may result in a low number of pedestrian deaths, it is one of the most preventable, after its the texter who is in control of paying attention. The number of texting while walking related deaths would be a lot higher if it weren't for bystander intervention. Having been witness to a number of close call of an oblivious texter wandering into traffic against the light, it was the other pedestrians, who were paying attention that prevented them from being run over.
If I need to text while walk, I pull over, so I am not in inconvenience to others around me who need to move at a faster pace. Since people can't multitask, you slow down while texting and walking so texting while walking doesn't really save you any more time then just stopping for a second or two to send your missive.
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@NBrooke
I'm surprised by the reactions to this report.
No one said that texting and walking is advisable, only that it is not the danger most people assumed. I myself would never text and walk because it's needlessly risky and I'm cautious. But it is helpful to know when a danger has been exaggerated.
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@NBrooke
I have had texters in Penn Station at rush hour stop on the stairs dead. Out of the blue. And look annoyed when people bump into them. I've seen them stand in the middle of obvious foot traffic blocking everyone without any sense of what they are doing.
I dated a guy who drives all around the city. When he saw people doing stupid things while crossing the street , sometime while jaywalking , he explained to me that those pedestrians would lose if anything happened to them. Drivers would most likely walk away he said . Have you heard any drivers went to jail because he or she hurts somebody in street he asked ? If there he said ... very few and for very short times and never worth anyone life, he went on. He explained this how car insurances got involved( something I didn’t understand so I wouldn’t stretch on that ). Anyway he changed me on how I have to think of my own safety FIRST while crossing the streets, even if the drivers have right to make turn...I have to make eye contact first, if only that driver waves me to go then I go.
I have to txt, I am a mother of a millennial and he doesn’t pick up a call, “ I was busy he said”, but he answers txt quickly if not right away. Be safe everyone .
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Hearing from Transportation Alternatives about saying that walking and texting is safe clearly shows how biased they really are. Their whole aim is to always blame motorists for just about anything while ignoring everyone else. I can see why there was a recent protest at their headquarters. I have never heard them once call out pedestrians and cyclists that are known for breaking the laws, and they even have a history of trying to minimize such as say that motorists are to blame for what happens even though there was proof that a cyclist or pedestrian placed themselves into harm's way. Ironically, they demand that all motorists must follow every letter of the law, while crying foul whenever it's enforced on their kind, which shows their real nature. I feel that it's about high time Transportation Alternatives gets exposed for who they really are. However, if anyone can prove that they do call out pedestrians and cyclists that constantly flout the law by not having an anti-car bias, I will rescind my comment, otherwise it will uphold by default. The day I will believe that Transportation Alternatives doesn't have a bias against those who drive will be the same day I believe the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) doesn't have a bias against Israel.
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Transportation Alternatives did not do the study, the Transportation Department did.
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Texting may not result in getting killed, but it certainly impacts on others and traffic (and can result in dangerous situations.)
For example, yesterday, saw a person texting and walking very s l o w l y....As a result, an Access a Ride vehicle was not able to turn. (But who cares if a disabled or elderly person in inconvenienced, right?)
Also, don't see how Transportation Alternatives is the appropriate spokesgroup for pedestrians?
TA is a lobbying and advocacy group for bicyclists.
Unfortunately many cyclists are a danger to pedestrians - even non-texting pedestrians.
TA always lobbies for cyclists.
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I agree that the danger posed to pedestrians by cyclists is not taken sufficiently seriously. But the City, not TA, wrote the report.
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@SLM I was hit by a bike messenger while crossing in the crosswalk and with the light in my favor. I yelled at the perpetrator who then took time out from his busy day to flip the bird at me. A tailoring bill for my coat and copay for the doctor followed for me, but no price was paid by the reckless cyclist. This was some time ago and absolutely nothing has changed. Cycllists by and large do whatever the heck they want. Any of them reading this post, flame away - at least you won't be endangering anyone while you do it.
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@SLM; Agree about Transportation Alternatives - they are VERY good at getting themselves quoted in the news, but they are absolutely biased and as a pedestrian, they do not speak for me, nor do I respect them as an organization.
IMO, they are the basically like the NRA, but for bike riders: To hear TA tell it, bike riders are NEVER at fault, but everyone else is! Whenever I hear Danny Harris spouting off about how perfect bikers are and how awful cars and pedestrians are, it's like hearing Wayne LaPierre blame everything BUT guns for people getting shot.
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I like texting. Luckily, I don’t like my friends, family, and work colleagues enough to text them incessantly.
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There a few things more dangerous and annoying than people who are addicted to the screens on their phones while crossing the street. And while it may not be illegal, they still pose a danger not only to themselves -- but to everyone else who has to look out for them.
And the same goes for headphones.
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@N. Smith I mean, the study this article was about pretty clearly shows that there is, in fact, something more dangerous than people walking while looking at phones: cars.
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@Lizbeth
Right. And the 2016 election polls said that Trump wouldn't be elected.
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Our NY state lawmakers should stop with this nonsense and concentrate on :
Our terrible roads and bridges
Our terrible infrastructure as a whole
Our taxed out seniors
Our terrible school tax problem forcing everyone to move
Out terrible schools on a whole across the state
Out NY state lawmakers should be embarrassed by all of the above and yet, will study texting whole walking
Simply incredible!
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