Texting While Walking

Fort Lee, N.J. recently created an uproar by implementing a fine for texting while walking.

However, the ban is not just for texting and walking—but rather for texting and jaywalking. An individual crossing the street outside of a crosswalk while texting is now subject to a $54 fine as part of the police department's attempt to reduce pedestrian-involved accidents.

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Fort Lee Chief of Police Thomas Ripoli stated that there have been three fatalities and more than 20 pedestrian accidents so far in 2012 due to texting. Admittedly in most states pedestrians have the right of way—but don't they also have an obligation to pay some attention to traffic and to those around them?

Is banning texting while walking really a bad thing in general? I think not.

While at the grocery store the other day I could easily have run over a woman who was indeed texting while walking. She was paying no attention to traffic or the fact that I was waiting to pull into a parking spot. I waited patiently, of course, although I wonder what she would have done had I honked the horn to startle her out of her super-important texting.

Let's face it: At one time only physicians had pagers, and that was for medical emergencies. Is it really necessary to read every text the second it comes in? Why is every last shred of information so important that it can't wait a few minutes? What's your experience—have you encountered texters who were posing a danger to themselves or others?