FIXING STUPID??? — New Jersey Legislature Ponders Penalties for Distracted Pedestrians

Pedestrian safety goes both ways…

As we frantically install bump-outs and bollards to protect our citizens from the sinister menace of the automobile, Hoboken’s upwardly mobile are constantly face-down in their mobile phones, hooked on the narcissistic morphine drip of social media.

In fact, if you’re reading this on your phone, look up RIGHT NOW to make sure you’re not in the middle of traffic…

All good? Phew.

The New Jersey Legislature wants to make illegal to walk while distracted.

“If a person on the road—whether walking or driving—presents a risk to others on the road, there should be a law in place to dissuade and penalize risky behavior,” New Jersey Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt (D-Camden) told CBS New York.

The National Safety Council now includes distracted walking in its annual injury report for the first time citing the increased use of cellphones in a spike of injuries.

Here in Hoboken, it’s easy to see why.

As we said back in October…

“In a world where ‘death by selfie’ outnumbers ‘death by shark,’ the proliferation of mobile media devices will likely be the bubonic plague of our generation. Whether it’s staring at a screen (Satan’s blindfold) or using noise-cancelling headphones (Darwin’s whispers), situational awareness is at an all-time low in contemporary society. If you really feel the need to distract yourself while walking through a dangerous urban environment, at least have the common sense to pull your head out of your posterior from time to time—at least at the street corner.”

Now put your phone down and watch where you’re going…