I see more and more people crossing the street with their phone pressed to their ear or in front of their mouth, if they are wearing headphones, and it worries me greatly. Some do it on zebra crossings, others on pedestrian crossings, but there are also those who cross the street where they see fit.
Yesterday I stopped in front of a woman who was crossing the street holding her phone with her left hand and pushing a baby stroller with her right hand. She evidently did not notice that a car was stopping to let her pass, not only because she did not hear it but because her mind was somewhere else.
The use of the mobile phone has become universal. It is almost part of us and we use it continually. This has brought great progress to communication between people and has countless advantages compared to when it did not exist. But in the same way that talking on the phone when driving is prohibited, it should also be prohibited when being distracted is dangerous.
In England, zebra crossings are marked with two white lights on both sidewalks. Anyone who places themselves between those lights is indicating to the driver that they are going to cross and, inexorably, the driver stops to make way for the pedestrian. In Spain, no. And how many times there are people standing on the sidewalk in front of a zebra crossing with no intention of crossing. Perhaps that is why many drivers only stop when the pedestrian has started to cross and perhaps then it is too late.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to adopt the English system so that drivers know, without a doubt, what pedestrians are going to do. But it is not only crossing the street that those who use the telephone increase the danger. Also cyclists who use it while cycling.
When moving around the city, sight is a very important sense, but hearing is also important. We hear the sirens of the police, ambulances or firefighters, and that is very muffled if we have headphones inside our ears that are talking to us or simply playing music.
