Brooklyn senator pushes again to unplug pedestrians

Huh? Whaddya say?

Plugged-in pedestrians might want to turn off their iPods and listen up.

State Sen. Carl Kruger, (D-Brooklyn) has revived a bill that would make it illegal to cross the street while listening to iPods, talking on cell phones, texting, or using any electronic device.

Violators would be required to appear in court, and revenue from the $100 fines would go to a fund to educate people on the dangers of device distractions, the senator said.

“This is not a nuisance offense,” Kruger said. “People are dying.”

Kruger re-introduced the bill after a Manhattan man, who reportedly was using an iPod, was killed by a truck as it backed into an Upper East Side crosswalk last month.

“If we were acting responsibly, then government would not have to interfere,” he said.

Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, slammed the proposal.

"IPods don’t kill pedestrians, reckless drivers do,” he said in an email. “If the senator wants to protect New Yorkers from being killed by cars and trucks, he should focus on rampant speeding and failure to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.”