Senator wants to ban iPods in streets
New York Senator Carl Kruger wants to ban the use of iPods and cellphones in crosswalks. After a pedestrian death, the senator wants to eliminate what he considers to be a danger to everyone, claiming people don't pay attention to the road. From the article:
Saying that people don't notice things with headphones is no different than anything else. For example, while riding my bike, I rarely hear cars coming up behind me, but I almost always know when they are because I always look back. Same goes for running down the side of the road when I am listening to my iPod; I am always looking around.
"We're talking about people walking sort of tuned in and in the process of being tuned in, tuned out," Kruger said. "Tuned out to the world around them. They're walking into speeding cars. They're walking into buses. They're walking into one another and it's creating a number of fatalities that have been documented right here in the city."The senator make a large assumption that people using iPods are less aware of the things around them. This is a faulty argument because the sidewalks are safe from cars, and crosswalks most people cross the same with or without headphones/ cellphones. I have been to New York City, and most people will cross and pay some attention to cars at a crosswalk, or if the sign says to wait (who does?) people will look and cross if it is clear.
Saying that people don't notice things with headphones is no different than anything else. For example, while riding my bike, I rarely hear cars coming up behind me, but I almost always know when they are because I always look back. Same goes for running down the side of the road when I am listening to my iPod; I am always looking around.
