It's been close to twelve months since New York State Senator, Carl Kruger introduced legislation to ban the use of high tech gadgets such as iPods, Blackberry devices and video games while crossing the street in NYC. Kruger proposed a $100 fine for those who violated the ban. (link)

DDB advertising agency in Sydney, Australia and the New South Wales Police Force have released a road safety print campaign to raise awareness of the fact that teenagers are dying from crossing the road while listening to their iPods. The incidents are allegedly beginning to reach epidemic proportions in Australia, according to a brief blurb on the Coloribus Ad MIrror Web site (link) .

That legislation was being watched closely by State Traffic Commander, Chief Superintendent John Hartley who said; "The New South Wales police would look at the New York senator's proposal and the impact it may have in twelve months' time," as reported in an article entitled "Alert Sounded on iPod Use" by Asher Moses on February 7, 2007 in The Sydney Morning Herald. Superintendent Hartley went on in that same article to say; "You can't legislate stupidity - if people are stupid enough to do something that's so distracting they can't see cars coming, that's a problem they need to deal with." Source: The Sydney Morning Herald



Apparently it's now a problem that the NSW Police feel compelled to deal with rather than placing responsibility on those who have mastered stupidity. Less than twelve months later the NSW Police Force are determined to send a strong visual message to pedestrians that listening to an iPod while crossing the street can bring sudden death. No real statistics to speak of, simply sensationalism in 'death by iPod' ads that use fear to raise awareness. Using DDB, an award winning worldwide advertising agency to produce a road safety campaign is an unfair advantage over the typical stupid iPod user. They may actually be gullible enough to believe that their iPod is a death inducer.



Is an iPod really the danger? Is it any more dangerous than a typical cell phone that drives us all to distraction? I think not! I only saw an iPod in these ads, not a cell phone or even an iPhone which includes a free iPod packed inside, plus email and the internet too. Most people are dying to get one of those. Not to worry. According to Chief Superintendent Hartley it's actually stupidity and distraction that kills people, not iPods. Or is it people that kill people? I actually like the idea of putting a ban on stupidity. Banning stupidity by cheerless legislators in government would be a great starting place.(link)



"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin



[via Fake Steve Jobs] Photos by Mat Baker Courtesy of DDB Sydney (link)