Legislation is not a cure-all for people’s dumb behavior
You’ve survived traffic on the H-1 and now you’re in town, navigating red lights and left turns to get to a doctor appointment or lunch date or meeting at the bank. The light is green, the way is clear and you step on the gas when all of a sudden, a blur of a person with skinny jeans, an all-consuming cellphone conversation and a death wish stumbles into the crosswalk and you have to skid to a terrified stop.
The lady in the Lexus behind you isn’t fast enough and your back bumper takes a solid hit. The man in the Subaru behind her hasn’t had his brakes checked in a while and he hits the Lexus, which hits you again and pushes you into the oncoming lane of traffic, where you get crunched by a BMW.
Sucky morning.
But then!
A police officer appears out of nowhere like Deputy Dog or Super Chicken and goes straight to the cellphone-using pedestrian who started the whole mess. $250 fine. Boom. You watch the citation being written up while you wait for the tow truck and you feel pretty stinkin’ vindicated.
That’s the fantasy. The reality is, law or no law, people are gonna do what they’re gonna do.
The House Transportation Committee this week took up a bill that would prohibit using cellphones while walking across the street. It was deferred, but the idea got people talking.
Well, of course people shouldn’t have their eyes glued to their cellphones while dashing across a busy street.
People shouldn’t be carrying on colorful conversations about their exes while in a stall in a public restroom.
People shouldn’t be texting while pushing a double-wide baby stroller down the sidewalk on Kalakaua.
People shouldn’t be posting photos of themselves in thin, slippy hospital gowns while they’re being stitched up in the ER or about to be sent down the chute of an MRI scanner.
But they do. And what can be done about it?
You can’t legislate good sense or classy behavior.
The list can keep going:
>> Dudes riding mopeds in the bike lane on Kalanianaole shouldn’t be typing into Google Maps on their phones to figure out where they’re going.
>> Audience members shouldn’t be checking email on their phones in the dark during theatrical productions. (The actors on stage can totally see you, you know, and they talk stink about you in the dressing room.)
>> Drivers shouldn’t take out their cellphones to snap a picture of other drivers or pedestrians using cellphones on the road, even if it is to prove a point.
But we probably don’t need a law that won’t work. Shouldn’t police be out catching thieves and murderers anyway? And besides, in no time, today’s most advanced phones will be obsolete and we will laugh at the quaint old days when we had to actually hold a phone and avert our eyes to stay connected (or disconnected) as we move through our days.
Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.
39 responses to “Legislation is not a cure-all for people’s dumb behavior”
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Common senses unfortunately isn’t too common.
Millennials can’t do anything unless there is a smartphone app in lieu of the lack of common sense.
hey! Not all of us…
Stupid is what stupid does.
Lee is right: let us not overlegislate, especially where HPD cannot easily enforce the law.
Lee, the person with the cellphone is still oblivious and long gone from the scene of the accident.
What does Lee know about, sucky?
Lee can see that the recent new laws in Hawaii are nothing more than a police state in action treating us like a bunch of school kids in the form of harassment.
Lee, you mean one cannot legislate common sense? Isn’t the “social justice” movement all about legislating away differences in culture, intelligence, motivation, and hard work, diminishing us all to the lowest common denominator?
In North Korea people would not dare to do such dumb things. Proves that you can legislate common sense if you really want to.
This is a breath of fresh air. Thanks for the column.
Last time I typed the word, dumb, on the this comment section, I got put on the SA’s moderation watch list.
When common sense is lacking enact a law to address said offense. However, it needs to be fully enforced…with stiff fines. By the way, it’s not just “common sense” let’s mix in some “common courtesy”. I have shared the same scenario in prior posts…but it gets even more frustrating when the “Don’t Walk” starts blinking (countdown)…you have the green light and pedestrian enters crosswalk…or you have them gabbing at the corner and then realize they better get a move on while it’s counting down “4…3…2…1″… All our comments really will not go anywhere and remain as comments. Perhaps you may get better traction contacting the author of House Bill 2723 Bill and his / her Committee Members and provide support or non-support and testimony (in person or online).
And the vehicles run the red lights and speed through crosswalks with walk signals and pedestrians walking.
This happens to and I am not one of them…it’s not only wrong…it’s rude…maybe I’m overlooking something…
The reason why we have the flashing, red countdown walking traffic light is so that the people stop crossing so the cars can proceed turning right. If people continue to cross during the red countdown, then no cars will be able to make a right hand turn, because when the other side is green, the same cars trying to turn right will be stuck in the same old spot in a vicious cycle. It’s really not for the pedestrian’s safety at all.
Nice try Lee but as usual you miss the point. Just posting what has already been posted multiple times, regurgitating.
In your scenario, all the affected car drivers would have their insurance companies go after the errant cell phone user who caused the accident. As HPD ticked them, a slam dunk for the insurance companies to require them to pay for all related vehicle damage, rental car while damage is being repaired, any other expenses.
How about a current article Lee? Think you can meet standards?
…like Deputy Dog or Super Chicken…” Too funny. Memories from a better time
And that better time also included rotary dial phones, no answer machines, postage stamps and cursive writing.
Why does LAX and NYC have a low number area code? It took way too long for the rotor dial to return back to the start position.
Abd me running out of money to buy more camera flashes at the store for my model, 126 crank up film.
Don’t cook tonight. Call Chicken Delight. That’s the song ad on TV. Guess that they could not compete with the KFC, finger licking good slogan, in Honolulu in the 1970s.
The legislature should be repealing dumb laws rather than passing new dumb laws. Cell phone ban for cars is stupid enough but now pedestrians? Stop the police state already. Stop trying to raise revenue by turning cops into ticket issuing machines. Whoever proposed such an idi*t law should be removed from office.
The dumocraps are trying to protect us from ourselves (and getting an extra tax in the form of a fine).
And the Richpublicans will never let Wall Street down.
Reality is that the Deputy Dog or Super Chicken gives the woman in the Lexus tickets for failing to pay attention to pedestrians, stopping suddenly, and whatever else they can pull out of their behinds. The guy who rear ends you also gets multiple tickets. The pedestrian doesn’t even look up and continues along with his eyes looking down as he texts, calls numbers, etc. BTW, bicyclists are also talking, texting and doing internet searches on their cellphones.
The pedestrian SHOULD be paying attention, and if he/she crosses when the light is blinking or red is at fault and should receive a ticket. It IS the driver’s responsibility to make sure they way the clear, especially if you’re making a turn across an intersection. This is regardless of if the pedestrian is paying attention, looking around, is on the phone, is blind, etc etc. New laws wont change any of this.
But if the cop sees his daughter crossing the street while looking at the phone, will he turn a blind eye? You bet, you, he will.
You left out the genius that tries a selfie on a ridge of the Ko’olaus during a hike and ends up costing the taxpayers a small fortune in rescue efforts and mortuary costs…
Yup. anything under a million dollars to recuse is small?
SA staff, please do not word such as “dumb” that you take as a moderators watch list when us subscribers use it. Scary stuff.
The cell phone has become part of the human possession and function. It’s sad, but it has become a normal habit of using the cell phone like having to eat. People have nothing better to do than to be playing with their cell phones while waiting at the airport, medical facilities waiting rooms, sports function, riding government transportation, driving, fitness centers, having dinner in a restaurant or as the article mentioned, walking from point A to point B. It’s just crazy but it has become part of the daily function of people that can’t go without using their cell phones. Will a law prevent them from using the cell phone while walking or driving? No! It’s like most of the laws that the government has passed, i.e., speeding, DUI, seat belts, use of cell phones while driving. People have become cell phone fanatics and it will continue no matter if there’s laws mandated by the government. It’s become part of the normal do’s and the don’ts are irrelevant.
If lots of people are on their cell phone while crossing the street, then legislation is needed. If they make it illegal, some of those dum*bos will stop doing it. Some is better than none, isn’t it? Without legislation, nobody will even think about it.
Hawaii residents can get used to it. It’s the tourist that will never understand this marshal law.
Ms. Cataluna, get your point but the real point is that laws are a deterrent to protect others from bad behavior. Laws allow a civil case after the fact but in reality there is no one there to enforce the law but the perpetrator himself/herself.
Unenforceable or not Ms. Cataluna, this law has the potential to save the lives of some really stupid pedestrians.
So entertaining to read Lee Cataluna’s columns. The “fantasy” oh so funny and the “digs” oh so true. Quote from Albert Einstein…”Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.”
Tell Lee to wake me up in September.
My investments depend on low information people.