“After targeting drivers who paid more attention to their phone calls and text messages than the road, lawmakers in Arkansas and New York are now looking to crack down on pedestrians equally distracted by their own electronic gadgets,” AP reports. “Lawmakers in both states have proposed restrictions on using cellphones and music players such as iPods by people running and walking on the street or sidewalk.”
“The proposal in Arkansas would ban pedestrians from wearing headphones in both ears while on, parallel or adjacent to a street, road, intersection or highway,” AP reports. “The measure also applies to runners and cyclists and would allow pedestrians to wear headphones in one ear. ‘You might not get the full effect of the Boston Symphony Orchestra with one ear, but you at least will be aware of your surroundings,’ said Sen. Jimmy Jeffress, a Democrat from Crossett who proposed the legislation.”
MacDailyNews Take: Apparently, even to an Arkansas Senator, Emmet Otter’s Jug Band can’t compare to the BSO. (Note to all Arkansans, the preceding was a joke. We love you very much.)
AP continues, “Democratic State Sen. Carl Kruger in New York has been trying since 2007 to ban the use of cellphones, iPods and other gadgets by pedestrians in major cities while crossing the street. The proposal would ban the use of an electronic device while crossing the crosswalk in a city with a population of one million or more. Violators would face a $100 civil fine.”
“Jean Knaack, executive director of the Road Runners Club of America, said her group doesn’t ban headphones but recommends against their use while running or advises runners to at least use only one earphone. Knaack said she’s discouraged when she sees runners at group runs or races plugging into their iPhones or other music players, saying it takes away from the social aspect of the sport,” The AP reports. “‘I certainly would rather see it be more of an education campaign than an outright limitation,’ Knaack said. ‘There are some people who have just convinced themselves they can’t run without it. They need that crutch to be able to get out and do it.'”
MacDailyNews Take: Obviously, if you take away an enjoyable aspect of something, fewer people will do it and, after all, isn’t what we really need most right now are more obese people in New York and Arkansas? Perhaps the Jerry Springer Cut-‘Em-Out-O’-Their-House Brigade is the lobbying force behind this one?
AP reports, “Jeffress said his legislation, which does not spell out any penalty for a violation, is aimed more at increasing awareness than punishing pedestrians. ‘I don’t envision the earphone police going out and arresting people,’ Jeffress said. ‘I don’t see anybody being stopped to check what’s in their ears.'”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: “I don’t see anybody being stopped to check what’s in their ears.” Then you don’t need a law, dummy.
Time to face two simple facts:
• The government can’t even order toilet seats properly; they certainly can’t protect you from life.
• Natural selection exists for a reason; thwart it and you end up with U.S. Senators who propose laws they don’t expect to be enforced.
Isn’t there something more important to worry about than runners/pedestrians being plugged in? Waste of tax dollars to even consider legislating this.
I move to BAN Lawmakers!!
More evidence of the fact that there are simply too many legislators in our government! I typically vote along liberal lines but when the gov clearly has nothing important to work on then it’s time to trim the fat!
You know, you can’t legislate against the foolishness of people. And who needs a rule to force people into social situations.
When I go for walks, I often do it alone so I can enjoy my music or thoughts alone. For some people, it’s their only time to get away.
If you can’t lower the volume, or unplug one ear, or at least look both ways before you cross a street, or walk on the side facing traffic if there are no sidewalks, then you’re not paying attention – music or not.
I guess it’s back to the boom box on the shoulder days. I know Apple could make a sweet boom box.
This is why politicians have zero respect. They waste their time on useless legislation to avoiding dealing with difficult issues that need their full attention.
There is ONE important difference between drivers and pedestrians. If the driver is distracted by wearing headphones or “texting” while driving, he endangers himself AND others. If a pedestrian is distracted, he endangers himself.
The Walkman debuted in 1979. Aren’t they 32 years late on this?
This is almost as bad as folks screaming that Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity campaign is responsible for a rise in pedestrian deaths. I’m a proud Democrat, but this is why we’re laughingstocks in political discourse; why not let people be responsible for their own behavior?
@ken1w, I don’t necessarily agree with the law, but it’s not true that “If a pedestrian is distracted, he endangers himself.” That might be true if pedestrians were like squirrels and you could just run over them if need be. But one can easily envision what has undoubtedly happened over and over again, that a person swerves to miss a pedestrian who stepped out of turn, and then proceeds to hurt themselves or their car or someone else in the process.
While they are at it, they should prevent text messaging from being used in Malls. Did you see the video of the person who fell in the water fountain at the mall because they were texting? (hilarious BTW, and discussed on the Howard Stern Show this morning…)
They need to pass a law to protect me from accidentally doing the same thing. I need all of my personal responsibility to be legislated.
2 Dems, you say?
/dons asbestos underwear
They can make that law here if they want, I’m still going to so whatever I want.
Is there any greater proof that more and more of those who hold political office (or seek to… along with the entire crowd of “society is more important than any individual” crowd of closet socialists) are motivated more by a desire to rule every aspect of our lives?
And add this ti the MDN take
Just more evidence that your typical politician is underworked, overpaid, not very intelligent, and wholly desperate to appear like they’re actually doing something important … kinda like most high school cheerleaders.
I suspect that there are lawmakers, in their ever spiraling greed for earmarks and PAC contributions, that pose a very distracted hazard to our constitutional freedom.
Yay! Political idiocy we can all agree on! Left or right!
Typical government wasting tax dollars…
@ Military Police
You can’t legislate everything that happens out in the real world in the name of safety. Next, we’ll hear about a ban on running on public streets; runners can only use designated “running paths.”
Let’s face it… politicians just want to do “something” because they are collectively ineffective at dealing with the important issues and key concerns of their constituents. I don’t recall a public outcry about pedestrians wearing iPods. I do seem to recall “some” public concern over government over-spending and debt.
The problem is that the two idiots in question are Democrats.
Conservatives support a smaller role for the government in part due to the belief in the importance of the civil society. As noted by Alexis de Tocqueville, there is a belief that a bigger role of the government in the economy will make people feel less responsible for the society. These responsibilities would then need to be taken over by the government, requiring more legislation and the resultant higher taxes. In his book Democracy in America, De Tocqueville describes this as “soft oppression.”
November 6, 2012.
Wow! For all the laws that get fought over in the news, I figure this is one that actually deserves it! This ACTUALLY infringes on your freedoms.
This law if passed will be abused and if passed won’t be enforced, leaving it open to be ignored and then miss used when convenient. You can’t legislate human behavior.
When driving or cycling sure. You have the chance of injurying someone then. When walking or running? Total BS if you’re walk and if you’re running you’re just as likely to be surprised at a corner or crossing, headphones or no.
WTF? ok law f4ckers, well done on considering cutting the healthy habits of people and increase obesity. Can somebody say Monsanto and pharmaceuticals? Lousy C0cksuckers!
@justme2
“why not let people be responsible for their own behavior”
because they aren’t responsible. Unfortunately their irresponsibility usually ends up costing someone else their lives. I dont think this particular law they are discussing is as big of a deal as they are making it out to be, especially if you are a pedestrian, but im all in favor of bans on texting while driving. I see too many morons doing this while driving, swerving into other lanes. Im not willing to let my own safety depend on whether the general public is acting responsibly. By and large they aren’t.
Thinning the herd has merit.
Natural selection exists for a reason
Uh, Natural Selection IS the reason, for everything.
Can I still use my iPod on the bus?
The timing of this couldn’t be more perfect. Wonder if this has anything to do with the woman that fell into the fountain at the mall while texting. Anyone know if that happened in Arkansas or NY?
Hey- this is serious stuff! I’m sure what happened was the legislator in question was late for a vote on the floor and had to wait while a snot nosed iPodder leisurely made their way on the crosswalk, grossly infringing on the senator’s valuable time. It’s probably very important to get this law passed for just this sort of thing. Damned Hippies!
Boy, this is a great example of why we need to cut legislatures back to part-time (along with an appropriate pay cut).
more government in my life, please!
Thanks!
So it’s perfectly acceptable to wear Sony Walkmanss?
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You better believe it!
The legislators might be putting forth these laws because of a request from an important constituent. If so, then they are just doing there job.
Obviously these a$$wipes do not know about “Awareness” that can be used on iPhones and iPods… (and, if you are into running and lugging, your iPad).
Slip a ill-conceived law in here and there and sooner or later, you have a totalitarian society…
I hope that these attempts at overregulation fail.
Cheers.
“The proposal in Arkansas would ban pedestrians from wearing headphones in both ears while on, parallel or adjacent to a street, road, intersection or highway”
So if I’m mowing my lawn and I’m mowing the park strip between the sidewalk and the street and thus moving both parallel to and adjacent to the street and I’m wearing headphones in both ears to both block the noise from the lawnmower (so as to preserve my hearing) and to listen to my tunes, then I’d be breaking the law?
Just one of many reasons why this is just plain stupid.
And as to the difference between walking/running versus driving…
If the reaction time is the same then the distrance traveled is radically different between a walker/runner and a car.
Additionally, a walker/runner has what? 200 or so pounds? and moving *maybe* 10 mph? So in SI units thats about 900 N-m of kinetic energy? Versus a small car doing only 30 mph at about 90,000 N-m of kinetic energy? So the car can commit on the order of 100 times the damage of the runner. For large cars or one doing a greater speed the numbers are even more radical. Seems to me like controling the actions of that driver to a reasonable level makes some sense.
MDN, would you kindly ban “First 2010, now 2012”? Pretty Please?
First 2010, then 2012 says “Conservatives support a smaller role for the government.”
HAHAHAHA. Conservatives in the US want the government to inject the religion of their choice, and their choice only, into our school curriculum. They want the government to get between a woman and her doctor and her God. They think government should crawl into our bedrooms so that “homos” don’t push “their agenda” on society. They think even bigger tax breaks for oligopolies are the way to encourage job creation. NONE of these is a “smaller role for government.” Go check out how much the size of government grew under two terms of the conservative’s he-who-looks-like-Einstein-compared-to-the-perpetually-whining-media-victim-quitter-from-the-North.
Get it right, dweeeb – Libertarians say the government that governs least governs best. Conservatives are supposed to support status quo, but what they want is a complete rollback to the 1950’s when women stayed at home and raised as many babies as her husband stuck her with and the blacks and gays knew their place. Get over it, McCarthy, your time has long passed.
@Off Topic
Go Conservatives!
But not those that Off Topic describes above.
I think he is describing Republicans and Democrats.
More liberal-commie scum out to destroy freedom in the once great old USA. Get this straight libtards, we absolutely hate you busy body, “mastermind”‘, thieves. You people are sick. When do you stop trying to steal private property and rights?? Where does your sick agenda stop? Get your freaking hands out of my pocket book and off of my rights. How in hell can you be a proud democrat? Why is it scummy liberal losers like pukeskymac are always trying to silence any opposition to your Marxist “utopia”? This law is a useless distraction away from the destruction of the best health care industry in the world. Have any of you commie sheeple read the healthcare law and seen some of the doozies in it? I know the people that passed it sure didn’t. We will keep voting conservatives in and you commies out every chance. 2012 will be the next drubbing to rid the US of you Marxists from government office. Ban unions and fire 2/3 of government, useless, overpaid, “workers”. I wouldnt classify what most of them do as work. Try getting anything done with a government employee. Nightmare to deal with. Would get fired in a nano second in the real world. You sheeple need to read The Law by Frederick Bastiet. Wake the F up.
Right on Markus!
Up Next on the Legislature Docket:
OUTLAWING DEAF PEOPLE.
(Sorry that I had to shout).
-hh
@Markus… Maybe you should move Somalia. There you’ll be able to live in your tax-free, every man for himself Shangri-La.
If you’re capable, just think…no taxes, no government, no education, no services, all dirt roads (you’ll get to drive your SUV in full-time four wheel drive!!!), no clean water or health cares to steal what’s yours! Disease and starvation are just like next door neighbors. Women are kept in their proper place (clitorectomies optional) and all the guns (fully automatic weapons aren’t illegal, because there’s no such thing as law!), ammo and marauding bands of killers and bandits waiting to take what’s yours! Shoot first, don’t bother asking questions. And who’s there to stop you, or THEM?!?!
Oh my lack of god, it sounds like heaven on Earth to me!
FYI. It’s doubtful you’re interested in grey areas, but liberals, commies and Marx are all very different.
Somebody or something has got to stop the madness of legislators. This is way past ridiculous.
This is a dumb effort. It would be nice if they put their energy into finding where the 3 trillion dollars went.
Americans are funny* … scary as all hell!* but funny.
– *see story and comments above.
@ Mr. Reeee
You, like the rest, dont get it or can’t read. Markus said fire 2/3 of the govt, not 100%. There will still be taxes and we will be more free. Taxes == slavery and taxes are really not much different than protection money to the mafia.
You go to the extreme to try to make a useless and senseless point.
The point that needs to be made and understood (and to go back on topic) is the law makers have too much time on their hands and need to be sent home. Really, there is nothing wrong with the way things are now, is there? We are not Somalia, are we, and no one except you proposes that we become Somalia.
@ justme2 Unfortunately, people CAN’T be responsible for their own behaviors or we wouldn’t need laws against murder or stealing, etc.
Having said that, I do think this is ridiculous legislation considering in PA, you can ride a motorcycle without having to wear a helmet.
Markus:
“More liberal-commie scum out to destroy freedom in the once great old USA. Get this straight libtards, we absolutely hate you busy body, “mastermind”‘, thieves……”
You are a very angry person in need counseling. I hope your friends and family recognize this.
But you forgot to add this: “And the American people can also thank Brown-Shirt conservatives like Dead-Eye Dick Cheney for masterminding two absolutely brilliant wars that will cost this country $3 trillion — and billions of dollars in veterans health care costs. Except that conservatives only want to pay for wars, not their long-term consequences. It is “patriotic” to buy tanks and bullets, but when the legless vet is mumbling nonsense and begging for spare change on a Washington, D.C., street, conservatives can be trusted to do the right thing: slash the budgets of every social-service agency they can fnd.
So when are they gonna ban all those deaf people too?
walking around not hearing traffic, only the thoughts in their head.
They could get hurt too.
Magic word = given; as in “It is a given that the idea of a law to ban headphones is just stupid.
They should ban deaf people too.
You can’t make darwinism illegal.
Markus isn’t the only one angry. Liberal-Marxists have done an excellent job enraging the vast majority of the US population. Unlike you brain dead Marxists, Markus has his head screwed on properly and takes notice of all of the treachery going on at the hands of “Democrats”.
We stand with Markus and will greatly enjoy voting conservatives in to take everything over and put a stop to the madness.
Liberals and Google suck!
um, no
one : just watch were you walk and don’t step out into the middle of the street
two : when did hearing something make it heard to see something else?
three : hahaaha “Natural selection exists for a reason; thwart it and you end up with U.S. Senators who propose laws they don’t expect to be enforced.”
yea those people who get hit by cars cause they stepped out in the middle of a highway with there ipod should get the darwin award
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i ll bann!! lawmakers….. hunh….
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