I know that this post came out a few days ago, but I never really had a chance to speak my mind about it. Apparently, Fort Lee, NJ, (or as I like to call it, Fort Ree, for its heavy Asian population), has created a law that went into effect this past March stating that people who text while jaywalking can be subjected to an $85 ticket. That's right! You can get an $85 ticket for walking and texting at the same time. This is coming from a town, like I said, full of Asians, whom are stereotypically known for their bad driving. Maybe this law was made to keep pedestrians safe from being hit by these bad drivers?
According to the Fort Lee police chief, texting is a big distraction and pedestrians aren't watching where they are going, and they are not aware. He went on to say that the borough, which is home to approximately 35,000 residents (mostly Asian), has suffered three fatal pedestrian involved accidents this year. He hopes that this crackdown will make his town safer, though, not everyone is on board with the idea of issuing $85 tickets. One resident said that when she walks, she still looks around, and her head is not constantly down the whole time. Why should she be penalized? Another resident complained that the ticket was way too much money!
Fort Lee officers handed out pamphlets during a short grace period in March before they began aggressively going after what they deemed 'dangerous walkers'. More than 117 tickets have been issued since the law went into effect. One study conducted by two Stony Brook University professors found that texters who walk and text are 60% more likely to veer off a straight line than non-texters. The professors went on to say that they just want to raise awareness that a real disruption occurs because of texting. It disrupts your ability much more than talking does.
In a driver's safety class that I had to take for the U.S. Postal Service (not because I'm Asian!), they told us that driving while texting is equivalent, if not worse, than drinking and driving. After seeing drivers swerve off a road or slow down because they were texting while driving, I might agree with you. I do, however, have to say that I am an avid texter-while-driving, which I probably should not be doing, but I feel it's because I know how to and am always aware of my surroundings. I feel that most people can't chew gum and walk at the same time, and those are the ones who swerve and slow down. Maybe I'm one of those people and just don't realize it when I'm driving. The bottom line about this law is that if you're going to equate it to drinking and driving, do they ticket people in Fort Lee for walking while intoxicated? Because that's just as dangerous. Do I think it's a good law? Sure, I do! Because like I said, most people can't chew gum and walk at the same time. Those people should stop where they are, text, and then resume walking. When I worked in radio, and listeners would call us from the road, we would urge them to pull over rather than talk to us while driving. Same thing here! Stop, text, and then walk. There will be less fatal accidents, less tickets given out, and the people walking behind you will thank you! They should actually do this in New York City! Yeah, right!
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