I can understand — though I don’t agree with — people who defend using cellphones while driving saying it’s no more distracting than fooling with the radio or CD player. I’m baffled, however, by the fact that banning on texting while driving is even a matter for discussion.
That being said, the Philadelphia PD has a new plan to “warn” anybody they see texting while walking. Only a warning. No plans down the road for this cash-starved city to give actual tickets. If you believe that, I think the Ben Franklin Bridge is for sale.
I’m confused. The police can’t just make up offenses. Did the Philly city consul outlaw texting while walking, or are the police pressing some existing law about distracted public walking into service? If there is an actual law against texting & walking, of course the police should be enforcing it. If it’s not specifically illegal, then the police are overreaching and should forget about it.
Banning any cell phone use by drivers is completely a nanny state intervention, but text messaging requires the driver to take their eyes off the road and perform complicated button presses. Persons caught texting while operating a moving vehicle ought to be arrested on the spot for endangering everyone on the road.
Stop going after the texting users, and start going after the dealers. Make the wireless phone companies pay for the mayhem their products leave in their wake…
This would only be a “nanny state” move if it were designed only to protect the pedestrian. It is not hard to imagine a texting pedestrian not realizing when they are crossing a driveway with an oncoming motorist, or entering an intersection against the light, and causing an accident. In those sorts of cases, they are a threat to the safety of the public, not just to themselves, and — in those situations — the police giving them a warning is entirely appropriate.
I live and drive in Philly and I’m all for stopping people from texting while walking. More than a few times I’ve almost hit someone who wasn’t paying attention to the fact that they were crossing against the light while I was driving. It’s even more prevalent in the neighborhoods where kids like to step out between cars, in the middle of the street, without looking cause they’re reading or texting someone. I know this law will probably only effect those in Center City but they need to spread it out into other areas as well.
I am all for giving people tickets for are not paying attention as they cross an intersection, but as it is written it would allow the cops to pull anyone aside for texting at any time while moving. And that, I feel could lead to some very dangerous places.
I’m one who thinks that making texting while driving illegal is not smart. Educating the public goes a long way, but for those texting addicts who won’t stop even when it’s illegal, I’d rather have them texting with the device on top of the steering wheel than with the device in their laps.
As for texting while walking, that’s fine with me. If you’re doing it walking, chances are excellent that the only person who will be harmed in an accident is you, and I can live with that.
ShadZ, it wouldn’t have to be a new law: they could just say that texttalking is a public nuisance or something that’s already on the books as a minor offense.
What I’d really like them to do is ticket the idiots that are texting and talking on their cell phones while they’re driving. Not a month goes by that one of them goes through the red light at 16th & Market (which I cross twice a day, five days a week). The curious thing is that it’s always in the afternoon. I was almost hit once and I’ve seen several other close calls.
Next step – texting while breathing?
Say there is a law enforcement officer in a helicopter overhead. I am walking across my back yard – texting.
Can he set down and ticket me?
What if my curtains are open, as he is patrolling the ‘hood. He espies me walking across my living room, while – horrors – texting.
As he has just witnessed a crime, can he then bust down my door and write the ticket?