Should iPods Be Banned at Crosswalks?

Some truly nutty, Footloose-worthy legislation attempts are under foot: According to BetaNews, New York State Senator Carl Kruger is trying to push through a law that would subject pedestrians to a $100 fine for crossing the street with their iPods on. Apparently three pedestrians have been killed in the last year in N.Y. State Senator Carl Kruger's home district.

Okay, I'll admit that I have almost been hit by a car at least a couple of times while crossing the street with my iPod at full blast (not to mention my portable CD player and cassette-tape Walkman before that). But those close encounters with car contact taught me a lesson: Look both ways before you cross the street, just like Mom said. Or put warnings on the iPod boxes (I think some audio player and headphone models already have this).

Making it against the law to wear your Walkman seems like a waste of taxpayer money, not to mention a buzz-kill right out of Footloose (the movie is set in a town where dancing was against the law). I mean, how would you even check if someone had their music on or off? What a hassle it'll be if complying with the law means taking your headphones off every single time you cross the street.

This may not be an issue for most Americans, who usually drive everywhere, but for anyone in a small town or walkable big city, this could be a bummer. I mean, why should I have to shut off my iPod when it's perfectly legal for packs of smokers to exhale cancer-causing fumes in my face every time I walk by a bar? Work on that annoying byproduct of the anti-smoking movement before you take my iPod away.

What do you think: Should iPods be banned at crosswalks?