Bill to prevent “iPod oblivion” proposed

State Senator Carl Kreuger, a Democrat representing New York‘s 27th district in the New York City Borough of Brooklyn, has recently announced his plan to introduce legislation that would ban the use of electronic devices (iPods, BlackBerrys, cellphones, DS Lites, PSPs) while crossing streets in major cities.

Sen. Kreuger has claimed that the phenomenon of “iPod oblivion” has led to a number of fatal accidents on urban streets. While he did not cite any statistical studies that have indicated a rise in such incidents, he did refer to the January death of a 23-year-old Brooklyn man who, while tuned into his iPod headphones, walked into the path of a city bus.

The bill would basically make it illegal to use any kind of handheld device while crossing the street in major cities like New York, Albany, and Buffalo. Offenders would end up with a US$ 100 fine and a criminal court summons.

Joggers and other exercise buffs who like to pass the time listening to tunes while burning calories would have to limit their iPod use to city areas in which no street crossing would be involved.

While this proposed bill may infuriate handheld gamers, music loving exercise buffs, and Wall-Street BlackBerry addicts, Kreuger stands fully behind this bill, saying that tuning in and tuning out is a fatal combination on the streets of New York. CNET News reports that Kreuger said this in a statement:

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

We here at QJ would like recall George Carlin’s view on children and “dangerous toys” and prefer to think of this “iPod oblivion” phenomenon as a passive form of eugenics: If you’re too dumb to play your PSP while crossing a traffic-heavy street, then you’re probably just too dumb.

Via CNET News

State Senator Carl Kreuger, a Democrat representing New York‘s 27th district in the New York City Borough of Brooklyn, has recently announced his plan to introduce legislation that would ban the use of electronic devices (iPods, BlackBerrys, cellphones, DS Lites, PSPs) while crossing streets in major cities.

Sen. Kreuger has claimed that the phenomenon of “iPod oblivion” has led to a number of fatal accidents on urban streets. While he did not cite any statistical studies that have indicated a rise in such incidents, he did refer to the January death of a 23-year-old Brooklyn man who, while tuned into his iPod headphones, walked into the path of a city bus.

The bill would basically make it illegal to use any kind of handheld device while crossing the street in major cities like New York, Albany, and Buffalo. Offenders would end up with a US$ 100 fine and a criminal court summons.

Joggers and other exercise buffs who like to pass the time listening to tunes while burning calories would have to limit their iPod use to city areas in which no street crossing would be involved.

While this proposed bill may infuriate handheld gamers, music loving exercise buffs, and Wall-Street BlackBerry addicts, Kreuger stands fully behind this bill, saying that tuning in and tuning out is a fatal combination on the streets of New York. CNET News reports that Kreuger said this in a statement:

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

We here at QJ would like recall George Carlin’s view on children and “dangerous toys” and prefer to think of this “iPod oblivion” phenomenon as a passive form of eugenics: If you’re too dumb to play your PSP while crossing a traffic-heavy street, then you’re probably just too dumb.

Via CNET News