Texting while Walking Banned in NJ

 

Smartphones are getting smarter these days. Too bad we can't say the same about the users.

Avid texters beware: Fort Lee, N.J. police said they will begin issuing $85 jaywalking tickets to pedestrians who are caught texting while walking.

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/texting-while-walking-b...

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Box Car wrote:
VersatileGuy wrote:
Box Car wrote:

You can't legislate against stupidity and trying to do so is just as bad.

...but surely you can see the difference between something stupid I might do that could hurt me and something stupid I might do that could hurt (or kill) you, right?

And passing a law against stupidity stops the behavior in what way?

Okay, I'll have to concede the point if we're talking about true "stupidity". If the perpetrator simply cannot fathom that what they are doing could injure them (or others) then a law may not help much. However, many times we use the label "stupid" when we really mean "thoughtless", and a law may cause some people to think before engaging in the "stupid" activity.

Box Car wrote:

Like I stated, passing laws against stupidity either elevates the stupidity to where it is acceptable or lowers the lawmaker to the level of the act.

Sorry, but I don't follow. The point of the law is that the behaviour is NOT acceptable. Many people (i.e., those who are "thoughtful" or have "common sense") will know that already, but they aren't the problem.

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Ericruby started the focus on “stupid/stupidity” by saying “you cannot legislate stupidity” I did not understand what was meant but moved on thinking that what he meant to say was “you cannot legislate against stupidity”. Box car picked up on that later.

So, what is “stupidity” in a legislative context. One definition of “stupidity” is: A poor ability to understand or to profit from experience. So, if one jaywalks and pays a citation for doing so, but continues to jaywalk and pay citations, we could say that person’s actions amounted to “stupidity”.

Then, pkdmslf, made the comment about politicians that “They have nothing else to do but come up with stupid laws [to] pass away their time and draw their paychecks.”

One definition of “stupid” is: “Lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity”. In this context, whether on not “laws” are stupid can be a function of one’s personal views.

Personally, if there really had been a law passed in Fort Lee, NJ, against texting while walking (which was not the case), I would have considered that pretty stupid because I can not see the harm done to the common good. Passing laws against jaywalking, on the other hand, because the jaywalker might cause some vehicle to have an accident by trying to avoid striking the jaywalker, seems to promote the common good. Cars have been rear-ended because they slammed on their brakes to avoid hitting teenagers jaywalking.

Also, laws against texting while operating a moving vehicle (and add trains to your thinking) seem to be quite reasonable. It only took me one attempt, while driving, to try to answer a text with the word “Ok” to realize that my attempting to text was a danger to myself and others.

What I think has happened in this thread is that some are using “stupid/stupidity” as a way to express displeasure with laws and politicians in generalized terms and painting all laws and politicians with a very broad brush.

I wonder, if one votes for a politician and that politician later does something that the voter does not like, is it the voter or the politician that is/was “stupid”?

But If You're Named..

Jgermann said in part..

jgermann wrote:

I believe that the fines in Fort Lee are for "JAY"walking - whether or not smartphones are involved.

Well then.. I guess it's ok if you're named Bob, or Bill, or Dave, or Tom, or etc., etc.! grin rolleyes wink

Nuvi1300WTGPS

--
I'm not really lost.... just temporarily misplaced!

One upped Again

Nuvi1300WTGPS wrote:

Jgermann said in part..

jgermann wrote:

I believe that the fines in Fort Lee are for "JAY"walking - whether or not smartphones are involved.

Well then.. I guess it's ok if you're named Bob, or Bill, or Dave, or Tom, or etc., etc.! grin rolleyes wink

Nuvi1300WTGPS

Good one!

...

And how do the cops know if you are "texting" (not a verb) and not obtaining GPS guidance of where you are walking or taking a picture??? Will they ban looking at a map while walking too? What if you are actually standing while doing this, but take a quick step to get out of someone's way? Are you now in violation?

Texting not banned

telecomdigest2 wrote:

And how do the cops know if you are "texting" (not a verb) and not obtaining GPS guidance of where you are walking or taking a picture??? Will they ban looking at a map while walking too? What if you are actually standing while doing this, but take a quick step to get out of someone's way? Are you now in violation?

It was never true that "texting while walking" was banned.

They're Already Arresting People Doing That..!

telecomdigest2 wrote:

And how do the cops know if you are "texting" (not a verb) and not obtaining GPS guidance of where you are walking or taking a "PICTURE"??? Will they ban looking at a map while walking too? What if you are actually standing while doing this, but take a quick step to get out of someone's way? Are you now in violation?

Don't laugh at my subject title.....!!

Cops nation wide are "ARRESTING" the general cell phone public (people like you and I) who are "LEGALLY" taking pictures/photo's while standing on the public sidewalk. It's happening every day across the US.

Most of the time you're "ARRESTED" via various trumped up bogus charges under what's commonly known as "Contempt of Cop"! Later those same charges are commonly dropped by the DA or Judge because of being trumped up/bogus.

Here's a link to a web site called "Photography Is NOT A Crime", which is run by Carlos Miller.. a Miami multimedia journalist.

http://www.pixiq.com/contributors/248

Nuvi1300WTGPS

--
I'm not really lost.... just temporarily misplaced!

I had to jump aside

I was inside Walmart this evening when two people walking side by side down the isle were in there own little worlds texting. I literally had to jump aside to avoid having them walk into me. I'm just glad they were not outside driving...

Yes

EV Driver wrote:

I was inside Walmart this evening when two people walking side by side down the isle were in there own little worlds texting. I literally had to jump aside to avoid having them walk into me. I'm just glad they were not outside driving...

I had the same thing happen to me in a Walmart only it was just one guy. A kid of about 13 or 14 was using both thumbs on his iThing and ignoring those around him. I was looking at a display at the end of an isle when I noticed him coming straight at me. I braced myself and stood my ground. He hit me at full walking speed, bounced off, almost fell and glared at me with contempt in his eyes, I'm 67 yrs old. I apologized to him by saying "I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't watching were you were walking." He mutter a foul word and march off, still with both thumbs on his iThing.

.

The United States is a nation of laws: badly written and randomly enforced. Frank Zappa US musician, singer, & songwriter (1940 - 1993).

--
. 2 Garmin DriveSmart 61 LMT-S, Nuvi 2689, 2 Nuvi 2460, Zumo 550, Zumo 450, Uniden R3 radar detector with GPS built in, includes RLC info. Uconnect 430N Garmin based, built into my Jeep. .

I would have done the same thing.

jackj180 wrote:
EV Driver wrote:

I was inside Walmart this evening when two people walking side by side down the isle were in there own little worlds texting. I literally had to jump aside to avoid having them walk into me. I'm just glad they were not outside driving...

I had the same thing happen to me in a Walmart only it was just one guy. A kid of about 13 or 14 was using both thumbs on his iThing and ignoring those around him. I was looking at a display at the end of an isle when I noticed him coming straight at me. I braced myself and stood my ground. He hit me at full walking speed, bounced off, almost fell and glared at me with contempt in his eyes, I'm 67 yrs old. I apologized to him by saying "I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't watching were you were walking." He mutter a foul word and march off, still with both thumbs on his iThing.

--
Nuvi 2460LMT.

The idea the passing a law..

will stop people from doing it make little to no sense. You can't legislate or cure stupidity or common sense with a law.
If you have have no common sense by the time you're texting it's probably too late.

no, but

Frside007 wrote:

You can't legislate or cure stupidity or common sense with a law.

No, but you can vote him out of office in November.

Good For You!

jackj180 wrote:

A kid of about 13 or 14 was using both thumbs on his iThing and ignoring those around him. I was looking at a display at the end of an isle when I noticed him coming straight at me. I braced myself and stood my ground. He hit me at full walking speed, bounced off, almost fell and glared at me with contempt in his eyes, I'm 67 yrs old. I apologized to him by saying "I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't watching were you were walking."

Bravo!

they need to do this at the

they need to do this at the malls and at disneyland.. i swear people are texting when walking not watching where they are going .. total zombies..

--
DriveSmart 50, DriveSmart 60, nuvi 2595, nuvi 3760,

wut???

Fort Lee is not far from me ... that's insane ... what is Jaywalking anyways?

I agree with posters saying that NJ is the worst state ever, I've been living here for only 8 years and hate is so much already ... I would move out if I could, trust me, this place sucks (same about NYC though).

--
Garmin nuvi 2595LMT; Android 5.0 (Samsung GS3)

Are you kidding?

feniks wrote:

.. what is Jaywalking anyways?

You don't see it often because not many cops ticket for it, but it is walking when your'e not supposed to In a crooswalk against a red). More commonly...crossing the street outside a crosswalk. smile

--
Nuvi 2460LMT.

Fort Lee

Fort Lee must desparately need money. Next they will fine people who are thinking and walking.

Good For You!

pwohlrab wrote:
jackj180 wrote:
EV Driver wrote:

I was inside Walmart this evening when two people walking side by side down the isle were in there own little worlds texting. I literally had to jump aside to avoid having them walk into me. I'm just glad they were not outside driving...

I had the same thing happen to me in a Walmart only it was just one guy. A kid of about 13 or 14 was using both thumbs on his iThing and ignoring those around him. I was looking at a display at the end of an isle when I noticed him coming straight at me. I braced myself and stood my ground. He hit me at full walking speed, bounced off, almost fell and glared at me with contempt in his eyes, I'm 67 yrs old. I apologized to him by saying "I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't watching were you were walking." He mutter a foul word and march off, still with both thumbs on his iThing.

As I am also your age, it put a smile on my face.

--
Wanted -Woman with GPS -send picture of GPS

...

pwohlrab wrote:
feniks wrote:

.. what is Jaywalking anyways?

You don't see it often because not many cops ticket for it, but it is walking when your'e not supposed to In a crooswalk against a red). More commonly...crossing the street outside a crosswalk. smile

ah, thanks, I do it always when walking in NYC ... hehe, at least they have enough common sense not to ticket for it ... even if I do this daily in front of cops ...

--
Garmin nuvi 2595LMT; Android 5.0 (Samsung GS3)

Ft. Lee

alan111 wrote:

Fort Lee must desparately need money. Next they will fine people who are thinking and walking.

Perhaps the law was written by Mr. Richard Fader (geezer alert).

If people drove in the same manner they walked about in Walmart, traffic misery would increase 10,000 fold.

I've Seen Collisions and Near Collisions...

with pedestrians at work - a lot. People walking down the hallways seemingly oblivious to the world around them because they are so focused in their "smart" phone, or whatever device they're zombied into. Near collisions are easy - the other person sees them coming and usually moves out of the way. Every once in a while, I'll see someone stand their ground and let the other person walk into them. The collisions are almost always because both people involved had their heads buried in technology.

It seems sad to think that a law needs to be created for pedestrian's on the street to slow down the Darwin process.

--
And now, back to your regularly scheduled forum - already in progress . . .

New Jersey...

...is different, to say the least. Some of the things they do makes your head spin.

--
With God, all things are possible. ——State motto of the Great State of Ohio
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