Walking While Texting: Should There Be a Law?
Exactly forty years after a man first stepped on the moon, a walking, texting teenager took another giant leap forward and stepped into an open manhole, becoming the latest case-study of responsibility in America.
City workers in Staten Island, New York had just removed the manhole cover but hadn’t yet secured the area when a 15-year-old girl—focused on a phone—walked right in. “I felt this big drop,” she said. “It was four or five feet. It was very painful.” Apologetic workers helped the teen out of the hole, and doctors checked her scrapes before pronouncing her not seriously injured.
The girl’s mother declared she would sue. “Oh my god, it was putrid,” she said. “One of her sneakers is still down there.”
The latest tale of WWT—walking while texting—struck a nerve with those wondering where the all-thumbs effect of constant texting is leading. “This girl was just plain dumb. She should have been watching where she was going,” was typical of responses on blogs and message boards. “Open up all the manholes and send all the texting idiots into them,” said another. Others blamed the work crew. “No barriers, no tape, no cones = Negligence,” one said.
Teen texting has exploded. According to a recent study, American teenagers send and receive an average of 2,272 text messages each month —almost 80 messages a day. WWT incidents are on the rise as well. Two weeks before the manhole mishap, an Indiana teen crossing a road while texting was struck and killed by a car. In England, a 17-year-old walking while texting stepped straight into the path of a waiting thief who stole his phone.
“The deep, black hole of responsibility,” is how a newspaper editorial summed up the tumbling manhole texting incident, while posing the obvious next question: “Do we need ‘protect society from itself’ laws?”
Tell us what you think: Who’s responsible for the accident—the texter? The work crew? All of them? Should walking while texting be restricted by law?
Add Comment Share This
Comments
Paralegal
I think that all parties involved are responsible. It is well known that you cannot properly concentrate on movement (whether driving, walking, whatever) while paying attention to anything else that takes your eyes off your soundings. This includes reading, texting, even staring at the sky. The work crew does have the responsibility to mark the danger, since they cannot foresee the possibility of say a blind person using a cane walking down the street and not noticing the hole in the ground. However, the person who has full site has the responsibility to use the site to prevent dangers as well. It is common sense that if you are not paying attention you will miss something right in front of your face.
jade1977 | 5 months ago
Add Comment | Post Reply
Receptionist
You cannot make being distracted a law for individuals simply walking down the street as they are not in danger of harming others. However, it IS a personal responsibility to yourself and to the ones that care about you.
The work crew is at fault as securing the area for safety should have happened before the manhole was removed. That was neglect on their part.
But for the mom to threaten to sue because it was “putrid”??? is pathetic. Suing should only happen when injury (either physical or seriously emotional) occurs. The only emotional “injury” this teen experienced was humiliation and perhaps a good lesson learned.
The work crew should offer a formal letter of apology along with a reprimand of the employees at fault and a promise to retrain on safety policy. Nothing more. And the teen should be put on cell phone restriction for at least month.
P.S. Question: In a parking lot who is more responsible for an accident if one happens? The one backing out, or the ones driving through? Answer? By law, both are, depending on the circumstance. .
Rita Jean Powell | 5 months ago
Add Comment | Post Reply
TEXTING WHILE WALKING SHOULD THERE BE A LAW? YES/N
NO, It doesn’t seem to bother anyone when a person is SHOOTING THE BULL ON THEIR CELL PHONE OR DRIVING AN AUTOMOBILE that doesn’t stop on a dime when needed. This all being due to weight of vehicle speed and reflexes (and a number of things too complex to mention here.) At least my opinion a person who is walking down the side walk has the advantage of looking up an stepping back if needed or jumping out of the way af a car if they have looked up in time.
Shannon Swank | 5 months ago
Add Comment | Post Reply
wwt
I think that thy both are responsible for the encidence. The girl should of been paying attention to what she was doin. the workers should of put cones or something around the manhole. I do not think that walking while texting should not be a law it really isn’t nessecary. People should just pay attention to what they are doing.
shanae | 5 months ago
Add Comment | Post Reply
What i think.
i think that texting while walking should not be a law. it would be a pointless law that everyone would break anways. however it is the walkers responsibilty to pay attention to where she is walking if she does chose to text at the same time. in tis situaution i do feel half blame should go to the construction company. thye should have out cones or some caution to warn walkers about the whole. even without texting there are tons of other distractions or people who walk without looking that could cause someone to get injured. the blame should go to both the walker and thw workers.
Austin | 5 months ago
Add Comment | Post Reply
WOW
I think people shouldn’t be so involved with texting. What happend to hanging out with friends and talking in person???
Jamie Verno | 5 months ago
Add Comment | Post Reply
sorry
thats really stupid im sorry but ya thats stupid you still can hang with frends
bob the man | 4 months, 4 weeks ago
Add Comment | Post Reply
wtf
Texing while walking should (NOT BE A LAW) it is the most stupid I have ever herd of. But yes she should have ben paying more attention to what was in front of her then on here phone!! And the workers should have put up cones.
bob the man | 4 months, 4 weeks ago
Add Comment | Post Reply
Walking and Workers
What happened to common sence?
Dennis Neal | 4 months, 4 weeks ago
Add Comment | Post Reply
Walking while texting
I think texting should be banded completly. We are having more accidents out in street becauce of texting, Us humans don’t realize how we have more to live for. We should give thanks to God more offten then texting , our children should learn more from our own mistakes.
Diana Fernandez | 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Add Comment | Post Reply
1 2 3 > Last » (6 pages)