Wow, more wussification, this time in Britain
 

I expect it's only a matter of time before we see this here in the U.S.A. thanks to our obsession with lawsuits, lawyers and no accountability for anything anymore. In NewMerica, nothing is your fault (including, presumably the inability to walk down the street yapping on a cell phones and then walking into a lamppost).

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=525785&in_page_id=1770

My same first thought when I was reading!

lolo, can't do 2 things at once, too bad!

Thank god these folks don't text and drive. What would you need to make them happy? bumper cars? Those balloon things used at bowling alleys for kids?

Just imagine if they had padded Tab's staircase. Poor sod's..no scar's= no life.
new sport maybe..tripping
Rika

Carsten,

Did you notice this sentence...The blame was placed on the large amount of street furniture such as lamp posts and bins and a growing number of pedestrians attracted by the area's curry houses and bars.

C'mon these guys are drunk and walking and dealing with a hot curry and texting..now four things at once..give them a break..

Seriously tho the head down looking at the screen is a problem...I make an concious effort to make sure they walk into me if that's what they are doing... my score so far is two broken phones, three 'crackberries', a dropped handbag.. plus two people stepping off the kerb into traffic... its a good sport...you guys should try it.;)

Yep!
Why is a lamp post a problem ? It doesn't step into anybody's way :D

"crackberries" -- love it!

How about the number of birds? If they were increasing, then I could understand the problem ;)
I'd pay for the extra option if they had it for car insurance !

Seriously though, is this article for real or is it all bullocks?

Solution is simple, hand out free helmets to wear with cel phones.

Sadly its for real...:(

Brainless tw#ts...

it is really the same here. When I go to the mall i always get bumped into by people ..so much that often i say loudly"excuse me" or WTF! so as to let them know to pay attention ...

I have a good idea that I'm sure Jeff will agree with. Let's get rid of those expensive guard rails and jersey barriers on the side of the road. Sure, they prevent deaths but they only save the lives of people who should be falling prey to the "Darwin Award" concept. If these people can't drive, let them die. It's a win/win suggestion, right?

If you privatized the roads, the smart roadway developer would make his road more safe with guardrails, protective devices, lighting, etc. and be able to charge more for the comfort so provided to his customers.

This is a case where the free market would probably step up and do just fine.

If you have a choice of going to Destination X via a dangerous, risky road that's in poor repair or paying a little more to go via a well-engineered, statistically safe and comfortable thoroughfare, guess which one people will use?

Amazing thing that free market. Too bad the government keeps trying to screw it up and override it.

Are Brits are living in the the dark ages? Those pads look goofy.

Where are all the moving sidewalks (Pavement(s)-UK)?

Moving sidewalks, it's the only sensible text/walk solution.

I have a good idea that I'm sure Jeff will agree with. Let's get rid of those expensive guard rails and jersey barriers on the side of the road. Sure, they prevent deaths but they only save the lives of people who should be falling prey to the "Darwin Award" concept. If these people can't drive, let them die. It's a win/win suggestion, right?

You'd have less people talkin' on their cell phones and driving, wouldntcha? :)

See? An architectural solution versus a government policy one. Achieve the intended result through the creation and enhancement of the sublime. :) Far more effective than simply coddling the dumb.

imagine the mayhem if they were texting while riding a Segue/Segway(sp?)

It's not good to mess with darwin at work. If they're too stupid to choose when to text and when to navigate, then let evolution work its magic.

Perhaps a solution could be found by placing horizontal pipes across the sidewalk at approximately 12-inches height. Then sit back and enjoy. Could even be a Monty Python skit in there somewhere.

You're onto something here. I'm visualizing pop-up bollards, pipes and other obstructions that would spring forth from the landscape randomly for added challenge. For added bonus, make them controllable by other people - you pay a buck into a machine and that gives you the opportunity to push a button and make something pop up out of the sidewalk or move, just so you can entertain yourself watching other people walk into the stuff. It'd be brilliant. The revenues generated alone might be enough to help bail the Brits out of their own debt from I-wreck. . .

Jeff,

Please......doing the former needs brains, doing the later needs stupidity.... which do you think the 'Government' has in spades and which is quite clearly lacking....

Plus voters are predominantly stupid.;)