Podestrians present road danger

There may not yet be any statistical evidence for iPod users presenting a danger as pedestrians, but from my own observations as a pedestrian and a cyclist, I can say that 'podestrians' are a pain in the arse due to the way they unwittingly weave from side to side on the footpath and are not receptive to audio cues such as a cyclist's bell, someone yelling 'look out!' or even a simple 'excuse me'. They behave as if they are in their own little world; it wouldn't surprise me in the least if we were to find out that podestrians are more likely to be jolted out of their little universe by contact with a fast-moving vehicle.

But the State Traffic Commander, Chief Superintendent John Hartley, said: "You can't legislate stupidity - if people are stupid enough to do something that's so distracting they can't see cars coming, that's a problem they need to deal with."

While it might be fair to say that anyone crossing the road while wearing an iPod has automatically entered the running for a Darwin Award, the impact on the safety of other people also needs to be taken into account. What about the driver who brakes heavily to avoid hitting a podestrian and causes the vehicle following to crash into the rear of their car? That situation carries the potential for whiplash and other injuries for anywhere from 2-10 people, not to mention the hazard that the crash itself would present on the road.

Is it really worth waiting a decade or so while we tally up the deaths in order to provide proper statistics for a ban? It must be said that mobile phones present a similar danger for people crossing the road, and mobile phone hands-free kits present a level of risk to drivers equal to use of a hand-held phone, and neither of those have been banned. I predict a complete absence of any action to legislate against use of iPods while crossing a road.