The Responsibility Project^®. Exploring what it means to do the right thing

Should Walking While Texting Be Illegal?

96 Comments

October 20, 2009 by Kathy McManus

Exactly forty years after a man first stepped on the moon, a walking, texting teenager took another giant leap forward and stepped into an open manhole, becoming the latest case-study of responsibility in America. 

City workers in Staten Island, New York had just removed the manhole cover but hadn’t yet secured the area when a 15-year-old girl—focused on a phone—walked right in. “I felt this big drop,” she said. “It was four or five feet. It was very painful.” Apologetic workers helped the teen out of the hole, and doctors checked her scrapes before pronouncing her not seriously injured. 

The girl’s mother declared she would sue. “Oh my god, it was putrid,” she said. “One of her sneakers is still down there.” 

The latest tale of WWT—walking while texting—struck a nerve with those wondering where the all-thumbs effect of constant texting is leading. “This girl was just plain dumb. She should have been watching where she was going,” was typical of responses on blogs and message boards. “Open up all the manholes and send all the texting idiots into them,” said another. Others blamed the work crew. “No barriers, no tape, no cones = Negligence,” one said. 

Teen texting has exploded. According to a recent study, American teenagers send and receive an average of 2,272 text messages each month—almost 80 messages a day. WWT incidents are on the rise as well. Two weeks before the manhole mishap, an Indiana teen crossing a road while texting was struck and killed by a car. In England, a 17-year-old walking while texting stepped straight into the path of a waiting thief who stole his phone. 

“The deep, black hole of responsibility,” is how a newspaper editorial summed up the tumbling manhole texting incident, while posing the obvious next question: “Do we need ‘protect society from itself’ laws?” 

Tell us what you think: Who’s responsible for the accident—the texter? The work crew? All of them? Should walking while texting be restricted by law?

96 Comments

What do you think? Leave a comment

• October 20, 2009 by jade1977

  I think that all parties involved are responsible. It is well known that you cannot properly concentrate on movement (whether driving, walking, whatever) while paying attention to anything else that takes your eyes off your soundings. This includes reading, texting, even staring at the sky. The work crew does have the responsibility to mark the danger, since they cannot foresee the possibility of say a blind person using a cane walking down the street and not noticing the hole in the ground. However, the person who has full site has the responsibility to use the site to prevent dangers as well. It is common sense that if you are not paying attention you will miss something right in front of your face.

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  • August 10, 2010 by debra

    no but yes

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    • February 11, 2011 by cool

      No. its stupid

    • March 3, 2011 by Darien renee

      I think it would just be problem in Big cities Like new York. But not illegal????????????????? That's kinda crazy

  • September 27, 2010 by aerika perdue

    i think jaden is right

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• October 22, 2009 by Rita Jean Powell

  You cannot make being distracted a law for individuals simply walking down the street as they are not in danger of harming others. However, it IS a personal responsibility to yourself and to the ones that care about you. The work crew is at fault as securing the area for safety should have happened before the manhole was removed. That was neglect on their part. But for the mom to threaten to sue because it was "putrid"??? is pathetic. Suing should only happen when injury (either physical or seriously emotional) occurs. The only emotional "injury" this teen experienced was humiliation and perhaps a good lesson learned. The work crew should offer a formal letter of apology along with a reprimand of the employees at fault and a promise to retrain on safety policy. Nothing more. And the teen should be put on cell phone restriction for at least month. P.S. Question: In a parking lot who is more responsible for an accident if one happens? The one backing out, or the ones driving through? Answer? By law, both are, depending on the circumstance. .

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  • May 30, 2011 by Jose Mazariego

    It is tesponssbility of the workers to prevent the accident, before they open any ttrnch on the street, by law is their fault. Now they want to change the law bcz do not want to pay for another worker's error.

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• October 22, 2009 by Shannon Swank

  NO, It doesn't seem to bother anyone when a person is SHOOTING THE BULL ON THEIR CELL PHONE OR DRIVING AN AUTOMOBILE that doesn't stop on a dime when needed. This all being due to weight of vehicle speed and reflexes (and a number of things too complex to mention here.) At least my opinion a person who is walking down the side walk has the advantage of looking up an stepping back if needed or jumping out of the way af a car if they have looked up in time.

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• October 22, 2009 by shanae

  I think that thy both are responsible for the encidence. The girl should of been paying attention to what she was doin. the workers should of put cones or something around the manhole. I do not think that walking while texting should not be a law it really isn't nessecary. People should just pay attention to what they are doing.

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• October 22, 2009 by Austin

  i think that texting while walking should not be a law. it would be a pointless law that everyone would break anways. however it is the walkers responsibilty to pay attention to where she is walking if she does chose to text at the same time. in tis situaution i do feel half blame should go to the construction company. thye should have out cones or some caution to warn walkers about the whole. even without texting there are tons of other distractions or people who walk without looking that could cause someone to get injured. the blame should go to both the walker and thw workers.

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• October 22, 2009 by Jamie Verno

  I think people shouldn't be so involved with texting. What happend to hanging out with friends and talking in person???

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  • October 23, 2009 by bob the man

    thats really stupid im sorry but ya thats stupid you still can hang with frends

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  • November 28, 2010 by Patti

    I agree. Pretty soon there will be very little human contact...we may be there already. It's sad really. There is the loss of intimacy with our blossoming technology.

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• October 23, 2009 by bob the man

  Texing while walking should (NOT BE A LAW) it is the most stupid I have ever herd of. But yes she should have ben paying more attention to what was in front of her then on here phone!! And the workers should have put up cones.

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• October 24, 2009 by Dennis Neal

  What happened to common sence?

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• October 25, 2009 by Diana Fernandez

  I think texting should be banded completly. We are having more accidents out in street becauce of texting, Us humans don't realize how we have more to live for. We should give thanks to God more offten then texting , our children should learn more from our own mistakes.

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  • December 17, 2009 by Everett Perrin

    Banning texting would be ridiculous. It's not the act of texting that is causing harm, but the Inattentive people who try to multi-task while texting. In an example like this girls, it's about the equivalent of walking with your eye's closed. When walking or driving, paying attention to what is ahead is common sense, and if we need a law to prevent this kind of thing from happening then it's flat out pathetic.

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  • December 17, 2009 by John

    That makes no sense.

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  • June 20, 2010 by Lena Rouzer

    I feel Texting while driving need to be abanded for it's danger and the people who are doing it are not watch there driving completely for they are so deep in there TEXTING. I Hope and Pray they pass a law every where to put a stop to Texting while driving.

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• October 26, 2009 by bethea, gwendolyn

  It was the responsitilibty of the texter, you should be aware of your surroundings at all times. People have to use common sense when using their cell phones.

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• October 27, 2009 by chantele harris

  i think it was both of their faults. she shouldnt of been texting while she was walking.. exspecially outside.. when you dont know whats around you. but also the workers should of had some kind of sign or warning for people to see what was going on! so in this case she should of been looking up and looking out for things! i do think it would be a good idea if the mom did sue, because if she did .,, next time the workers would know too let people know whats going on!

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• October 27, 2009 by Diamond R

  If this was a law so many people would break it first of all. I think if someone isn't paying attention to their surrounding while they walk and text it is their responsibility. This idea of being a law for this shows just how bored we get sometimes. The world is never going to be perfect, there will always be problems. So this should've never been brought up. All people need to know is to pay attention if they are walking and texting.

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