On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:51:09 +0200, scott wrote:

>>> She would have noticed if
>>> there had been proper barriers.
>>
>> There's a good chance she would've noticed if she'd been watching where
>> she was going, too.
> 
> But do you really expect everyone to watch where they are going 100% of
> the time?  Have you never put up an umbrella, looked for something in a
> bag or glanced at something sideways whilst walking?  I am pretty sure
> that if we looked back at all the walking you had done in your life, we
> could choose to put an open manhole somewhere and get you to fall in :-)
> 
> Even if everyone on the planet watches where they are going 99% of the
> time, that still leaves a huge amount of distance where people aren't
> looking, and then accidents with other objects will happen just by
> chance.

There's a difference between glancing to the side while walking and 
walking for several hundred yards while completely engrossed in something 
on a handheld device.  Or being so totally unaware of your surroundings 
that you take three steps backwards and knock someone over or step into 
the street.

When walking in a busy area or where there's a risk of danger, the 
sensible thing to do is to not be distracted by texting a friend.  Walk 
over to the side of the sidewalk (don't just stop in the middle of the 
sidewalk, that's nearly as bad as walking without paying attention when 
the sidewalk is crowded) and stop for a second to send your message.

Jim

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