Philadelphia Bans Texting and Walking
What a difference a few states north make. Although Texas governor, Rick Perry vetoed a law that banned texting and driving, in Philadelphia it is now illegal to text and walk. Anyone caught focusing on their text and not on their sidewalk will face a $120 fine and deputy mayor Rita Cutler says that citations will definitely be handed out. This law may see over-reaching to some, but there is no doubt in my mind that it will prevent pedestrian accidents.
See, what many people fail to recognize is just how much concentration goes into sending and reading texts. No matter if you are driving OR walking-your eyes are still not where they should be. A few months ago, we watched the infamous “Fountain Lady’ video at my personal injury law firm in Fort Worth and we were all so surprised that someone could be that oblivious to a huge fountain in front of them! Is it a coincidence that the fountain lady just so happened to be from Pennsylvania? It could be, but who knows.
What we do know from that video is that any time you are traveling – either on a bike, in a car or on foot – your eyes need to be on the road. If you’re looking at your iPhone how can you see that car in front of you or that the crosswalk isn’t clear? Even though this ban will probably make some people very angry, it will also keep them safe. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw more laws like this in big cities like New York or Chicago where there is heavy pedestrian traffic. Maybe Texas will never pass an anti-texting and walking law, but I sure do hope that someday we can pass a ban on texting while driving. But, I guess will have to wait for good old Rick Perry to leave Austin first.
Want to keep your teen safe from distracted driving? Tell them to sign up for my Teens Against Distracted Driving program. And if you’ve been hurt by a distracted driver, call the personal injury attorneys Anderson Law Firm in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900.
