Too much agreement kills a chat - Eldridge Cleaver
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Drivers are warned about Ipod zombies
UK ROAD RECOVERY SERVICE, the Automobile Association (AA), is warning drivers to be on the look out for 'zombie' Ipod users or 'podestrians', through its insurance arm.
"'Ipod oblivion' - a trance-like or Zombie state entered by some people using MP3 players, phones and electronic organisers on the move - can be lethal for pedestrians, cyclists and car drivers", it warned when launching an awareness campaign.
These 'zombies', the AA said, wander blindly around the roads of the UK, probably listening to Dan Brown audiobooks, Kenny G, or avante-garde funk on their Ipods, with nary a second thought about traffic and other non-cool things like that.
"AA patrols have noted a marked increase in the number of 'Ipod zombie pedestrians' and joggers oblivious to traffic around them as they cross busy roads," it said. "It is thought that pedestrians' lack of attention may be a factor in some of the 500 pedestrian deaths or 26,887 pedestrian casualties last year."
Ipods are not the only tool of the devil, and ambulance chasing solicitors and the AA also fingered smartphones and the band Motorhead in its release. "It appears that more people are using communication technology on the move," it added, pointing its oily finger at email checking business men, heavy metal joggers and smartphone app using, restaurant hunting tourists.
The warnings do not just apply to pavement slugs that mooch into the road with the vacant air of the lobotomised, but also to drivers that wear headphones while in control of a car.
AA president Edmund King said, "We can't stop the march of technology but we need to halt the 'Ipod pedestrian, cycle and driver zombies'. Whether on two feet, two wheels or four, too many people are suffering from so-called 'iPod oblivion'.
"When on the move our brains have much to take in and using technological gadgets means that our brains can't always concentrate on so many things at once. This is when we walk into traffic, don't hear the truck or drive cocooned from the outside world."
The AA will look for the term 'podestrian' to catch on, and reports that more drivers making claims for minor shunts are citing 'podestrians' or Ipod wearing pedestrians as the cause than ever before.
It is urging people to be more concerned about their personal safety than whatever ear gum is coming next, or whatever foppish Facebook updates their friends might have made. µ
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This is just not the iPod, MP3 players in general. I see many wearing them at the gym I go to and our gym has a speaker system which plays music.
It is rude behavior that has become acceptable. They just ignore everything around them unless they want something. Off in their own little reality. It's just rude I say.
He too was an ipodestrian before he was hit by an ipedalist.
Maybe there is an app for that?
We need radar auto cars that also have government body scanners and sniffer dogs so that we can be anti-terroist machines as well as just commuters making a buck.
It's the same problem people were having when they would walk or run with portable radios, walkmen, CD players and now MP3 players and cell phone.
Is this really news? This is more for local governments to inform their communities because people aren't paying attention when crossing the road or texting while driving. What next INQ, the Food Wheel? It's just a stupid excuse for a news item to use a new phrase they just adore "ipod zombie".
It's okay you haters, MS is a lost cause, but I think being extremely overly critical of Apple might be a good thing so they don't become the next IBM or MS. Every misstep INQ is there to pounce.
But all people ask is keep the news level at a higher standard. It used to be so much better before people like Nick and Lawrence arrived. Just because Nick thinks he's oh so clever (which he's really below average) he decides to write an article about "ipod zombies". Nice Nick. Where did you get that from your years of reading comic books? Does stealing from Marvel Zombies or some movie title make you funny? Not really. Did you even take a writing class?
As far as I'm concerned there are many readers of INQ that write comments that could do a better job than the both of you put together. I actually support good writers with their interesting insights posting comments on INQ because it improves the lame articles and the all too common lack of research or experience in IT that most of these terrible INQ writers have. No vision and no insight from INQ. You're lucky smart people still read you.
I took a quick survey from 15 of my friends who used to read INQ, and are now all looking to The Register, Hard OCP and other sites first for real tech news and going to INQ if we have time, because of dropping quality.
This makes me wonder. Why huh? It probably takes just a little bit of responsibility and awareness from these users, and we wouldn't have to even talk about it. Why these dudes think they can simply amble around as if blind on sidewalk or even the streets and expect others to give way to them, is beyond me.
we all dont live in ipod land and have other mp3 players before ipod was around.
Its just a label - a bad one too....
but of course this now really puts the onus on the driver to drive with due care and attention as they should be..
- the american courts have shown that
and what a lame excuse that our brains cant concentrate of multi tasking. They make millions of calculations in fractions of seconds all the time....its wether we choose to pay attention to traffic and there is people like that all over whether they have head/earphones in or not.
I'm gonna have to disagree with a lot of this article, as the writer seems to be completly one sided.
I listen to an iPod when i'm cycling to work as my journey is a 25 min to work. I still pay attention to the road and follow the rules. If people aren't its not because of the device they are using, its because they are bloody idiots...
Don't take such a onesided argument to this issue...
they should call them "ipodestrian"
for initiating an awareness campaign about this public nuisance. I hope your campaign is only the first in many more to come from other concerned parties like TFL, Transport Police, Councils, etc.
Insurance companies and Council chiefs take note: 9.41 million iPods were sold in the first quarter of 2010 representing a revenue stream worth considering.
Not only a concern on the road and pavement, but try your local supermarket and those zombies purporting to be young mothers and females shopping with a dangerous trolly and oblvious to anyone else.
They held the press release for 30 years, because "walkmanestrian" sounded daft.
These zombies need to removed from the gene pool. ;)
run them down, first takeing a picture of them not takeing due care & attention with a mobile phone