By Emilia Benton
New York City, known for being one of the busiest and fast-paced cities in the world, is being asked to slow down in a proposed legislation to ban the use of hand-held electronic devices such as iPods, cellular phones, Blackberries, and video gaming devices by pedestrians.
State Sen. Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn) proposed the legislation in Albany. If passed, this bill would ban the use of such devices on crosswalks of New York’s major cities, and pedestrians caught violating it would be summoned to criminal court in addition to receiving a $100 fine.
Some University students think that it is common sense to be mindful of one’s surroundings, especially when surrounded by traffic.
“[The proposal] would be silly because people should be responsible for themselves. It would be their failure to pay attention to what is going on in front of them in such a busy city,” said Esha Bhardwaj, a sophomore psychology major. “It’s one thing to walk down the sidewalk listening to your iPod, but if it keeps you from keeping yourself safe, you should know better to take it away from your ear so you can hear the traffic; it’s something you learn in kindergarten.”
Freshman Jaymes Langrehr, a broadcast journalism major, believes police officers should focus on patrolling more serious crimes in big cities.
“Cops have better things to do than running after people who are wearing iPods,” Langrehr said.
Sophomore Linh Thoi, an English major, was in agreement. “The issue of using your iPod while you walk is a trivial thing considering that there are bigger crimes to worry about in New York City,” Thoi said.
Runners and cyclists have reason to take note of this bill as well, as they would not be exempt. Instead, they would have to retreat to city parks and neighborhoods that lack crosswalks should they wish to use these devices. The bill would apply to Albany and Buffalo, in addition to New York City. According to Kruger, the bill would be enforced similar to the way drivers are banned from using phones.
The reason for the proposal is some pedestrians who choose to multi-task while walking among traffic are often oblivious to their surroundings, occasionally resulting in unfortunate collisions. A recent example of this occurred last January when a 23-year-old Brooklyn resident stepped in front of an oncoming bus while he was using his iPod. This case was one of three related deaths to occur in Brooklyn since last September.
These devices cause too much distraction and pedestrians sometimes are not even aware of bystanders reaching out to warn them, Kruger said.
“I don’t think the government should have to get involved if both drivers and pedestrians do their part to prevent accidents,” said Iris Lin, a sophomore. “It’s the law that drivers have to watch out for pedestrians, but at the same time pedestrians should be just as careful.”
However, an officer from the Hempstead Police Department disagrees since the bill has the potential to prevent future accidents from happening.
“If this bill were to pass, I certainly see it being enforced here in Nassau County,” said the officer who wished to remain anonymous. “We cite motorists caught using cell phones, so why not prevent accidents with pedestrians as well?”
Sophomore Courtney Overdorf, a public relations major, said that imposing a ban is not the answer to every problem that poses danger.
“I think it would be impossible to ban all the stupid things that people do that cause accidents, let alone fatal ones,” Overdorf said. “Cell phones in cars definitely had a more widespread effect, but we don’t license people to walk.”
Sophomore Lauren Keough, a dual mathematics/education major, agreed that with more alertness, these worst-case scenarios could be avoided.
“I think this bill would be unnecessary because people should have the common sense to look both ways while crossing the street,” Keough said.
