Proposed law to ban cell phone usage while crossing streets
Using a cell phone while crossing the street may soon be banned in New York state if Sen. Carl Kruger has his way.
Violators of Kruger’s proposed legislation would face a criminal court summons and a $100 fine if caught crossing the street using a cell phone or iPod accessory.
Kruger hopes this reinforcement will make others more aware of their surroundings and the ‘potentially deadly dangers’ of using an electronic device and not paying attention, according to a Jan. 25 news release on his website.
Kruger’s announcement comes after several incidents in which music and phones distracted people. In December, a Mack truck crushed a young man when he did not hear its warning signals because of his loud music, according to Kruger’s press release. Surveillance video at a Pennsylvania mall also captured a woman falling into a fountain while she was walking and text messaging in January. The video spread on YouTube and received at least 1.5 million views, according to a Jan. 20 ABC News article.
‘You can’t be fully aware of your surroundings if you’re fiddling with a Blackberry, dialing a phone number, playing Super Mario Brothers on a Game Boy or listening to music on an iPod,’ Kruger said in the press release.
Kruger did not return calls to The Daily Orange.
Kruger tried to pass the legislation in 2007, but the vote has not yet been brought to Albany. Now Arkansas has jumped on board to begin trying to implement the legislation, according to the press release.
Jenn Horvath, a public information officer for the Department of Public Safety, said there have been many close calls due to pedestrians’ lack of attention when crossing streets at Syracuse University. Horvath said the area on campus cited as being particularly bad was outside the Schine Student Center.
Chris Janjic, a freshman international relations major, said he thinks the legislation is a good idea but will be hard to execute.
‘I think it’s as enforceable as jaywalking is,’ Janjic said. ‘Sure, it’s unsafe, but I’d be pissed off if I got a ticket for it.’
Grant Reeher, a political science professor, said he thinks people who use their phones while crossing the street are only putting themselves at risk. He said the idea was ‘more like a ban on acting stupidly.’
Reeher said he does not think the legislation will be implemented and does not look on it favorably.
‘When someone walks right out in front of my car with their head in their phone, I have some sympathy for the idea,’ Reeher said. ‘Bottom line: Don’t look for it to pass.’
But others agree with the proposed legislation. Linda Hong, a freshman marketing major, said she thinks it is a good idea. ‘We can afford to wait a few minutes to answer our friends’ text messages,’ she said. ‘It won’t kill us.’
Published on February 2, 2011 at 12:00 pm
Contact Maddy: mjberner@syr.edu
