Was the Attempted Ban On Headphones a Step in the Right Direction?
Recently, a 46 year old man named Clinton Walker from Southampton Township, New Jersey was hit and killed by a train while wearing headphones. Troopers say he was “searching for loose scrap metal on railroad tracks near Mount Rock Road in Southampton Township.” Obviously, it was a bad idea in the first place, but let’s stop and think for a second. If he wasn’t wearing headphones, he would most likely still be alive today. Also recently, a 16-year-old girl from Melbourne, Australia was hit by a car while listening to her mp3 player. Luckily, she is still alive, however she is suffering from serious head injuries. Again, it was most likely not the headphones that caused the accident, but they surely must have affected it in some way. If she wasn’t wearing headphones, the outcome could have been drastically different. Maybe the lawmakers who attempted to ban headphones were right… Although I do not completely agree with banning or even restricting the use of headphones for pedestrians, I can see that there is some validity to their reasoning for attempting to do so. I still believe that there should not be any law that restricts any individual’s freedom in a way such as this. I believe a better idea would be to increase the awareness of the dangers of wearing headphones while walking on the street rather than outright banning their use. What do you think would be the best idea?
http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story/Man-killed-by-train/aIN28WEI4kCd0lOIY4PCOA.cspx
Lawmakers Will Keep You Safe….by Banning the Use of Headphones…
Recently, two senators have been pushing to outlaw the use of headphones while walking out on the street or sidewalk. These senators are Jimmy Jeffress of Arkansas, and Carl Kruger of New York. Jeffress recently abandoned his proposal due to the fact that he received a large number of e-mails opposing his bill. If it were to pass however, it would have been illegal for pedestrians to walk on the street or sidewalk with headphones in both ears. Kruger, on the other hand, is putting even more effort into getting this to pass. Although it may increase the awareness of pedestrians to traffic and other hazards, I really don’t think that this is the way to go. Banning the use of wearing headphones in both ears? It sounds like a ridiculous law to enforce to me.
“What’s next: no walking and chewing gum because some Americans can’t? Just because something is wrong or dangerous doesn’t mean that banning it will solve the problem.” - John Stossel, Libertarian Commentator