iPod ban idea as dumb and intrusive as proposed light bulb ban

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Thursday, 08 February 2007 20:43

Opinion and Analysis

Here we go again. Yet another hair brained scheme dreamt up by a politician to tell you how to run your life. What'll they ban next?

Democrat Senator Carl Krueger wants to ban using the iPod, cell phones, Gameboys and other digital devices when you’re crossing the road in New York and issue a $100 fine if you do, to lower the incidence of people walking into oncoming traffic without realizing it. 

Senator Krueger is, of course, well meaning. He’s seen a number of lives lost in his time as people have crossed the road without paying attention. One particularly sad case was of a 23 year old man getting hit by a bus while crossing the street, oblivious to the screams of those on the sidewalk to watch out.

Unfortunately, this is more government meddling in people’s lives to protect them from themselves. Senator Krueger says he doesn’t want to intrude, he just wants to keep people safe. But this kind of action is very intrusive into people’s basic freedoms.

Drivers should also be careful of people on the streets, especially in a busy city like New York. But it’s not right to blame one side over the other. People need to take more care when walking city streets or driving them. News of the tragedy of those who weren’t paying attention dying from a traffic accident should be enough to warn everyone of the danger.

Otherwise we are faced with a world where slowly, more and more things are banned to protect us from ourselves. Sidewalk police will spring up to check your every action. How much is all of this all going to cost to police, and how much money will it raise from fines?

Just as the idea of arbitrarily banning the light bulb is a bad idea for California, instead of encouraging the right behavior through non-legislative means, outright banning the use of electronic devices while crossing city streets is equally silly.

And naturally, the inference that this might help reduce muggings is just a diversion.

Letting politicians get away with this kind of behavior only encourages them to do it again in the future. What hope for freedom and democracy then? What hope do we really have for it right now?

People don’t need more bans and fines. They simply need to be reminded more often of the dangers and consequences of disappearing into your own musical world while walking the streets of New York into the path of an oncoming bus. There’s no legislation required – that right there is lesson enough! As a free human being, it’s up to you to heed it.