Reuters has picked up what we must have known all along: electronic gadgets can be distracting, to the point of causing death to pedestrians in traffic. What may be surprising is that the pedestrians themselves are the ones using the devices, while blithely walking into the path of moving vehicles.
Three deaths were noted in Brooklyn alone. To be fair to the iPod brand, Blackberry and other devices were also at fault (or at least accessories to the accidents.)
New York State Sen. Carl Kruger says three pedestrians in his Brooklyn district have been killed since September upon stepping into traffic while distracted by an electronic device. In one case bystanders screamed "watch out" to no avail.
Mobile phones have a history of causing death by distraction. It looks like bans on device use may not be just for automobile drivers, anymore.
Q: Are dangers due to distraction a real menace, or just over-hyped fantasies dished out on a slow news day?
Photo credit: REUTERS/Charles Platiau
